Letters
to the president, address changes,subscription
requests, and orders for NFB literatureshould
be sent to the National Office.Articles
for the Monitor and letters to the editor may alsobe sent
to the National Office or may be emailed to [email protected]

Monitor
subscriptions cost the Federation about twenty-five dollars per year.Members
are invited, and nonmembers are requested, to cover
the subscription cost. Donations should be made payable to National Federation of the Blind and sent to:

National
Federation of the Blind1800
Johnson StreetBaltimore,
Maryland 21230

THE NATIONAL FEDERATION OF THE BLIND IS NOT AN ORGANIZATIONSPEAKING FOR THE BLIND--IT IS THE BLIND SPEAKING FOR THEMSELVES

ISSN
0006-8829

____________________________________________________________________

Dallas Site of 2006
NFB Convention

The 2006 convention
of the National Federation of the Blind will take place in Dallas, Texas, July
1 through 7, at the Hilton Anatole Hotel at 2201 Stemmons Freeway, Dallas, Texas
75207. Early this year the Wyndham Anatole property in Dallas became part of
the Hilton chain. Because of this transition you should make your room reservation
with the Hilton Anatole staff only. Call (214) 761-7500.

The 2006 room
rates are singles, doubles, and twins $60 and triples and quads $65 a night,
plus a 15 percent sales tax. The hotel is accepting reservations now. A $60-per-room
deposit is required to make a reservation. Fifty percent of the deposit will
be refunded if notice is given to the hotel of a reservation cancellation before
June 1, 2006. The other 50 percent is not refundable.

Rooms will
be available on a first-come, first-served basis. Reservations may be made before
June 1, 2006, assuming that rooms are still available. After that time the hotel
will not hold our block of rooms for the convention. In other words, you should
get your reservation in soon.

Guest room
amenities include cable television, coffee pot, iron and ironing board, hair
dryer, and high-speed Internet access. The Hilton Anatole has six excellent
restaurants, twenty-four-hour-a-day room service, first-rate meeting space,
and other top-notch facilities. It is in downtown Dallas with $16 shuttle service
to both the Dallas/Ft. Worth Airport and Love Field.

The 2006 convention
will follow what many think of as our usual schedule:

Saturday,
July 1 Seminar
Day
Sunday, July 2 Registration
Day
Monday, July 3 Board
Meeting and Division Day
Tuesday, July 4 Opening
Session
Wednesday, July 5 Tour
Day
Thursday, July 6 Banquet
Day
Friday, July 7 Business
Session

Convention
Preregistration Information

At the national convention
last year we announced that we would introduce a preregistration system for
the 2006 annual convention in Dallas. Here are the preliminary details of that
system. You will be able to register for the convention in advance as well as
purchase your convention banquet tickets ahead of time. Those of you who take
advantage of preregistration can expect to save a few dollars and wait in fewer
lines when you get to the hotel in Dallas.

Preregistration can be
done both online at our Web site and through regular U.S. postal mail. Registration
at convention in Dallas this year will be $20, but you can save $5 by registering
in advance and pay only $15. Tickets for the 2006 convention banquet will be
$40 if purchased at convention. Again, save yourself $5 and pay $35 if you buy
your banquet tickets ahead of time.

Preregistration will be
available for three months, starting March 1 and closing May 31. You’ll be able
to register online at our secure Web site using a credit card (Master Card,
Visa, or Discover only) by visiting <http://www.nfb.org/convent/prereg.htm>.
Or visit our homepage and follow the convention link to information about preregistration.
Preregistration can also be done through the mail with a check or money order.
Registration forms will be available online and in the March Braille Monitor.
All mail orders must be postmarked by May 31. Both online and mail preregistrants
will receive a confirmation letter, telling you that your registration or banquet
ticket purchase has been processed.

You should keep a couple
of important details in mind.

1. Preregistrations and
banquet ticket purchases are final. We will make absolutely no refunds.
2. We will not accept registrations over the phone.
3. Preregistration does not secure you a room at the Hilton Anatole in Dallas.
You must still reserve your room by calling the hotel at (214) 761-7500.

So, beginning March 1,
save yourself both time and money by preregistering for our 2006 annual convention.

____________________________________________________________________

Contents

Vol. 49,
No. 4 April
2006

Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow
by Mary Ellen Jernigan

The Local, State, and National
Organization:
Three Parts of a Whole
by Fredric K. Schroeder

No Boundaries
by Kirsten Srinivasan

The Radiator, the Washing
Machine, and the Gas Pump
by Robert Moore

Convention, Freedom, and
the Fourth of July
by Rebekah Jakeman

Texas Calling
by Elizabeth Campbell

A Breakfast Moment
by Mark Taylor

2006 Convention Attractions

The Equation for Success
2006 Seminar for Parents and Teachers
by Barbara Cheadle

From the Editor: Over Presidents’ Day weekend affiliate presidents from
across the country gathered in Baltimore at the National Center for the first
ever presidents’ seminar. It was organized and conducted by Joanne Wilson and
her Affiliate Action staff. Anyone lucky enough to have been present will tell
you that it was an unforgettable experience.

Saturday morning,
February 18, began with an address by Mary Ellen Jernigan, NFB executive director
of operations, a Federation leader in her own right for many years and a thoughtful
observer of the blindness field since 1965. She is also, of course, the widow
of our longtime leader and beloved colleague, Kenneth Jernigan.

Even as we were
listening to her address, we realized that we were hearing one of the great
Federation speeches. It continues to resonate in our hearts and minds, changing
the way we think about the NFB and the way we live in the world. This is what
she said:

I thought it might be well
to begin this day by thinking together a bit about who we are. When you ask
that question, a number of obvious answers spring to mind—we are teachers and
lawyers and students and vendors and rehab professionals. We are leaders in
the National Federation of the Blind. We are a vehicle for collective action.
We are the Voice of the Nation’s Blind—and all that. But that’s not what I’m
talking about when I say I want us to think about who we are. Those things are
what we do; they are not who we are.

My mind started going down
this track for a number of reasons. Joanne wanted me to talk to you about Dr.
Jernigan. I think she had in mind a sort of behind-the-scenes anecdotal telling
of stories that would somehow capture or recapture for us the magic of his energy
and presence. All of us who knew him have our treasured memories of what he
did and said in this or that situation. From this blend of memory, reality,
myth, and legend we construct the story of the man we loved—who for nearly five
decades was at the center of forming and shaping and building this movement
that has brought us here to Baltimore this weekend.

But this man is dead—it’s
coming up on eight years that he’s been dead. And except for the sentimental
appeal of it all, it’s a fair question (a phrase he frequently used) to ask
what does it matter? What’s the point? Why bother to remember him now or think
about what he said and did and thought?

He always asked the hard
questions and demanded that you go where your mind led you—even if you didn’t
at all like where it took you. Unless we get more than warm, fuzzy feelings
from telling each other our stories about Dr. Jernigan, we’d do better this
morning to set about getting the work of the Federation done, and that’s exactly
what he would tell us if he were here.

So I’m going to tell only
one story. I think it meets the criterion: I think it tells us something. Here
it is:

A few weeks before Dr.
Jernigan died, I got a summons for jury duty. I wrote asking to be excused,
and I was. A few weeks after he died, I got another summons. In Baltimore City
jury duty is, under the best of circumstances, a moderately unpleasant experience.
You are herded together with several hundred others who would also rather be
somewhere else, sit in a crowded room with noisy ventilation on hard chairs,
and wait to be told by a peremptory voice over a loud speaker what you are to
do next—you get the picture. The energy in the room is sour and surly. One of
the first orders you are given is to line up with your summons in hand and present
yourself to the clerk to check in and receive your $10 jury duty pay—a sum which
hardly begins to cover the cost of parking downtown.
As I stood in the line, my disposition was as sour and surly as that of those
around me. Each person approached the clerk, who without looking up reached
out, took the summons, crossed a name off a computer printout, and thrust a
ten-dollar bill at him or her. While I was standing there, it did briefly cross
my mind to think what a dull and dreary job this woman had, before turning back
to my own boredom.

Imagine my surprise as,
when my turn came, she lifted her head from her printout, looked straight at
me with what I can only describe as clear, shining eyes, and said softly, “Jernigan,
oh, I knew him,” as she proceeded to describe glowingly and with detail her
exchange with him in the jury pay line. I snapped out of my grumpy stupor and
spent the rest of that jury duty day pondering the experience. Under the most
unfavorable circumstances this woman had had perhaps a sixty-second encounter
two or three years earlier with Dr. Jernigan, yet thousands of such encounters
later, the life-giving energy of that encounter still lived somewhere inside
her and radiated out to me on that day.

My encounter with her,
like hers with him, had a profound effect. I have come back to it over the years,
and it never fails to give me some deeper understanding of why, not just for
me as an individual, but for us as the Federation, there is still something
of value—something that is life-giving for us today, something that goes beyond
mere loyalty and reverence for the past—that we get from thinking about Dr.
Jernigan. More precisely, it is thinking about who we are that matters. And
for me at least, thinking about Dr. Jernigan helps me know more clearly who
we are as the Federation. If it doesn’t do this, he would not have us do it
at all. There is a modern day philosopher and spiritual writer named Eckhardt
Tolle. One of the things Tolle says is this:

“Every human being emanates an energy field that corresponds to his or her inner
energy state, and most people can sense it. Even if they don’t know that they
sense it, they feel it subliminally, and it determines how they feel about and
react to that person.”

Tolle also says that this inner something is who we really are, that only the
present moment is real, that the past and the future are only thoughts, and
that, to the extent that the mind occupies itself with anything other than the
present moment, it is unconscious—that is, it misses the only reality there
ever is, the now. Tolle’s concept of an inner energy state that people can sense
and that defines who we are, and the idea that what we do with each present
moment is our only reality resonate deeply with the way I see the Federation
and Dr. Jernigan’s contribution to it.

For, if individuals have
an inner energy state that, apart from anything external, defines who they are,
so organizations have a collective internal energy. And that collective internal
energy comes from, but is more than, the individuals in it and encompasses more
than current time. All you have to do to understand this concept is to think
about the national convention. The convention is alive as something that is
more than merely the individuals who are there. You know it, I know it, and
anyone who shows up there for the first time feels it almost instantly. It was
what Dr. Jernigan was talking about when he wrote in his last banquet speech,
“I never come into one of our convention sessions without feeling a lift of
spirit and a surge of joy, for I know to the depths of my being that our shared
bond of love and trust will never change, and that because of it we will be
unswervable in our determination and unstoppable in our progress.”

This something
at the very core of the Federation, this collective inner energy state, this
who-we-are as opposed to what-we-do—this something
I believe is the unshakeable knowledge that the characteristic of blindness
is merely one of the thousands of attributes that define an individual; that
blindness does not in and of itself limit an individual in ways that are more
significant than those imposed by other characteristics.

Notice that I said “knowledge,”
not “belief.” Knowledge is deeper than belief. It is hope and belief backed
up by fact. I think Dr. Jernigan (and Dr. tenBroek before him) started with
belief—inner and unshakeable. The Federation, as the collective organism that
is more than all of us combined, transmuted that belief (piling up fact after
fact after fact) into knowledge—inner and unshakeable.
If Eckhardt Tolle is correct that this inner energy is sensed by the people
we encounter, even if only subliminally, and if it truly determines how they
feel about and react to us, think of what that means. Is it any wonder that
Dr. Jernigan had the effect he had on people? Is it any wonder that students
come away from our centers able to do jobs they never dreamed they could do?
Is it any wonder that the convention is alive in more than just a figurative
sense?

Now couple the inner energy
that is who-we-are with the concept of the now—being fully conscious
to the present moment as the only reality that ever exists—and think what that
means. It explains the power of the Federation in a way that little else can.
It also explains the jury pay clerk (and many others as well who remember an
almost chance encounter with Dr. Jernigan). He was as present to her that day
in the dreary jury duty room as he would have been if he were talking to the
president of the United States. And that was always the way it was with him.

When we focus on each moment
and bring all of our energy to what that exact moment requires, we have amazing
power. It doesn’t matter whether we are doing something as mundane as arranging
transportation for someone to get to a chapter meeting or something as lofty
as delivering a banquet speech. If we are fully present, we build life. This
is the Federation, and we are alive.

Any reasonably rational
assessment of the Federation would conclude that we should not have been able
to do what we have done. Blindness is not a characteristic that selects for
success as our society is structured. The staggering unemployment rate, the
essentially non-existent capacity for Braille instruction, and the massive public
misconceptions all conspire against us.

Think about it this way:
in 1978 the Federation was nearly broke. The mail campaign had been suspended
because of lawsuits in Ohio and Pennsylvania. The Iowa Commission for the Blind
and Dr. Jernigan were undergoing vicious attacks by the Des Moines Register
on an almost daily basis. The U.S. attorney had piled on with a high-profile
federal investigation aimed at furthering her gubernatorial campaign. Many of
you in this room lived through those days and provided part of that inner energy—that
who-we-are at the core—that moved us relatively quickly through them.

I don’t remember exactly
when the chant, “We know who we are, and we will never go back,” began at the
banquet, but once it started, it caught on with fervor because it rang with
the truth. That basic truth not only that we know who we are, but also that
we are who we are, never changes. But what we do does change. It always has.
It always will. It always should.

I was not around in the
fifties, but I know that it was a time of working on the welfare laws, trying
to assure at least a meager financial subsistence, fighting for the right to
organize, and working to eliminate the most demeaning and custodial parts of
the rehab system.
I was around in the sixties—having met Dr. Jernigan just before my twenty-first
birthday and having started to work for him shortly thereafter. This was the
decade of the employment breakthroughs in Iowa, the perfection of our style
of mobility and orientation-center training, the emergence of a whole cadre
of promising young Federationists who were to become leaders in the decades
that followed.
The seventies were years for the building of affiliates, the leadership seminars,
and the emergence of more leaders. It was also the decade of our most brutal
confrontation with the reactionary elements of the blindness system.

In the eighties we built
infrastructure—the National Center, a full-time president whose activities were
not circumscribed by employment responsibilities, an expanded staff, and our
own independent training centers in Louisiana, Minnesota, and Colorado.
With the nineties came the emergence and then consolidation of our position
as the dominant force in matters dealing with blindness in this country—symbolized
most clearly by such things as Dr. Jernigan’s and then Dr. Maurer’s leadership
of the North America/Caribbean Region of the World Blind Union, the appointment
of Fred Schroeder as rehabilitation commissioner, and our development of cutting-edge
technology.

Also with the nineties
came our demonstration to friend and foe alike of the depth and rock-solid stability
of the Federation with the seamless transition from Dr. Jernigan’s leadership
to Dr. Maurer’s. Marc Maurer is now in his twentieth year as our president.
He learned and learned well from Dr. Jernigan. But he also has forged from his
own resources, experience, and personal integrity a brand of leadership that
is his own. Not a leadership that merely conserves and mimics the past, but
one which is fully present to our own moment, our own reality.

Dr. Jernigan’s time was
not the time of Dr. tenBroek. There was overlap and continuity, but not sameness.
Likewise, Dr. Maurer’s time is not the time of Dr. Jernigan. Again there is
overlap and continuity, but not sameness. For this decade—the first of the new
century, although it’s hard to characterize a decade until you have a chance
to look back on it with some perspective, I think the exponential expansion
of the vibrancy, depth and breadth, maturity, and general aliveness of the National
Convention may come to be its defining factor.

The elements of renewal
of commitment, the incorporation of rookies into the body of the Federation,
the mentoring of scholarship winners, the reaching out to parents and blind
children, the hammering out of policy—sometimes confirming, sometimes changing
our direction, the giving of hope to the hopeless, the sharing of resources—financial
and emotional—, the love falling on all who care to receive it: these things
give to the convention a unifying dimension—one that marries the unchangeable
who-we-are at the inner spiritual level with the ever-changing what-we-do
at the tactical and strategic levels.

The Local, State,
and National Organization: Three Parts of a Whole

by Fredric K. Schroeder

From the Editor:
Fred Schroeder's credentials for addressing the subject of the underlying unity
of the elements of the National Federation of the Blind are recognized by all
who know him. He has been a member and leader of the Federation since he was
a college student. He has been president of two state affiliates: New Mexico
and Virginia. He presided over the transformation of a state rehabilitation
program from an undistinguished bureaucracy condemning blind citizens to inactivity
and despair to a force for effective rehabilitation and hope. He also served
for seven years as commissioner of the United States Rehabilitation Services
Administration, implementing important reforms to the entire rehabilitation
system. In July of 2005 he returned to the board of the National Federation
of the Blind. Fred delivered the following stirring remarks at the seminar for
state presidents on February 18, 2006. This is what he said:

I have been a member of the National Federation of the Blind for many years.
I am not quite sure when I moved from being a new member to being one of the
old-timers. I have always felt that I was one of the young people in the Federation,
still with much to learn. Given that I joined in 1974 and since it's now 2006,
I suppose I no longer have a claim to being one of the new people in the organization.
Yet it is gratifying to look around this room and see how many new and dynamic
leaders we have in our organization. It gives me great encouragement and hope
for the future.
As many of you know, I grew up in New Mexico. I lived for several years in California
and later Nebraska, but in 1980 I moved back to New Mexico and began getting
active in our state affiliate. At that time blind people in the state had very
limited opportunities to obtain the training and encouragement they needed to
live active, productive lives, yet we were Federationists and knew that things
could be better. In 1986, after years of effort, we were successful in creating
a separate agency for the blind, the New Mexico Commission for the Blind, and
I was hired as its first director.

One day in the late 1980’s
I was sitting at my desk, and I received a telephone call from a young blind
woman living in Tucumcari, a woman I did not know. She used a guide dog, and
she called to say that she had gone to a local restaurant which refused to admit
her with her dog. She insisted on calling the police, and when the police came,
she told them about the White Cane Law that guaranteed her right to take her
dog into a restaurant. Unfortunately the local police were not aware of the
White Cane Law either and refused to require the restaurant owner to admit her,
so she was turned away. She called the Commission for the Blind asking for help,
and of course we did help. We contacted the restaurant and the Tucumcari police,
and we were able to resolve the issue. But I remember thinking to myself, "Here
it is, the late 1980's, and a young woman in Tucumcari, New Mexico, has the
legal right to take a guide dog into a restaurant. But why does she have that
legal right? Whether she knew about the National Federation of the Blind or
not, her right to take her guide dog into a local restaurant was a result of
the efforts of the Federation, and even the intervention of the state agency,
the Commission for the Blind, was also directly linked to the work of the Federation.

In 1967 New Mexico was
the first state in the nation to pass the Model White Cane Law in its entirety.
Because Pauline Gomez and other Federationists in New Mexico had worked with
the legislature twenty years earlier, this young blind woman in Tucumcari, New
Mexico, had the right to go into a restaurant and take her dog.

But where did the Model
White Cane Law come from? The idea did not originate with blind people in New
Mexico; it had been conceived a year earlier. It started as an article that
our president, Dr. tenBroek, wrote and published in the California Law Review
in April 1966. The title of the article was "The Right to Live in the World:
The Disabled in the Law of Torts." In that article he talked about fundamental
principles of civil rights for blind people, a concept that was not generally
established in law at that time. In Dr. tenBroek’s words, " Nothing could
be more essential to personality, social existence, economic opportunity—in
short, to individual well-being and integration into the life of the community—than...public
approval, and the legal right to be abroad in the land."

At that time a smattering
of state laws provided some level of legal protection for blind people around
the country, but no systematic guarantee of rights existed for blind people
generally. Dr. tenBroek’s article included the draft of a model White Cane Law
that would grant to blind people many of the protections we take for granted
today. At our 1966 national convention we voted to seek the adoption of the
Model White Cane Law in all of the fifty states. As a result leaders of the
National Federation of the Blind of New Mexico went home and worked to have
the Model White Cane Law passed by the state legislature so that twenty years
later a young blind woman in Tucumcari who knew nothing about the National Federation
of the Blind would have the right to go into a restaurant of her choosing and
to take her guide dog in with her.

But the Model White Cane
Law did much more than guarantee blind people access to restaurants with their
guide dogs. At that time—some of you are too young to know this—it was not uncommon
for blind people traveling alone to be told by a bus company or an airline that
they wouldn't be allowed to travel unless they were accompanied by a sighted
person—and it was perfectly legal for the bus company or airline to do so. It
was also not uncommon for blind people to be turned away from a hotel on the
basis that they might unknowingly start a fire or have some other kind of accident
that would endanger themselves or others, and the hotel had a legal right to
do so. Recognizing that blind people needed the guarantee of basic civil rights,
Dr. tenBroek drafted the Model White Cane Law, and brought it to the national
convention. As a national movement we made its adoption in the states a priority,
a unified effort of our Federation.

The Model White Cane Law
demonstrates how the national, state, and local bodies of our organization work
together, each with its role, each with its job to do—separate and yet parts
of a cohesive whole. It demonstrates our unity, and it shows something else.
It shows how our philosophy binds us together. What gives us direction, what
makes us strong and unified, is our shared belief in our fundamental normalcy;
and, as Mrs. Jernigan pointed out to us, the truth of our equality has evolved
past belief, past hope, into knowledge. We know that as blind people we can
in fact live normal, productive lives and that blindness is nothing more than
one of our many characteristics; it is not the overarching, all-defining characteristic
of who we are. The truth of our normalcy, our equality, is the foundation of
what we believe and drives our actions; it organizes us and gives us unity and
focus.

There is a concept in open
systems theory called "negative entropy," entropy being defined in
the physical sciences as the tendency for all matter and energy in the universe
to evolve toward a state of inert uniformity. When applied to social systems,
entropy is defined as the inevitable and steady deterioration of a system or
society. In plain language entropy means death or dying. That said, what then
is negative entropy? By definition it means that, in order to survive, an open
system must arrest entropy—a universal law of nature—by incorporating acquisitions
equal to or greater than its exports. That is, negative entropy means to be
alive, but, more than alive, it means to grow or expand or develop. So in open
systems theory why use the term negative entropy? Why not simply say expanding,
growing, or developing? Why be so convoluted? Why not talk about death as contrasted
with growth rather than entropy with negative entropy? The reason is that, according
to open systems theory, social organizations drift toward death. If not resisted,
if not actively combated, systems lose vitality and die. Applying this concept
to our movement, if we are not expanding, if we are not growing, if we are not
continuously taking on new challenges, then we will inevitably drift toward
death. It is not enough to continue doing what we have done in the past. We
must constantly challenge ourselves and push forward, staving off entropy through
the process of negative entropy. Our success can be seen through our history,
in the lives and examples of many of our members.

We have a legacy of pioneers
in our movement, and their spirit guides our efforts today and lays the course
for the future. In February 2006, a man in Santa Fe, New Mexico, named Albert
Gonzales died. He was ninety-three years old. In the 1940's in New Mexico, Albert
was the first blind person to earn an undergraduate degree from New Mexico State
University. He went on to be the first blind person to graduate from the Georgetown
University School of Law. He returned to New Mexico and became the first blind
person to be elected judge in the state and the first blind person to serve
in the New Mexico legislature. He was a very successful man who practiced law
for sixty years, although he slowed down a little as he reached his nineties.
Albert Gonzalez was a pioneer, yet today the National Federation of the Blind
has an entire division of practicing lawyers.

At about the same time
as Albert Gonzales began practicing law, a woman in New Mexico named Pauline
Gomez became the first blind person in the state to graduate from the University
of New Mexico. Pauline wanted to be a teacher, but in the 1940's, if a blind
person wanted to teach, it was presumed that he or she could teach only other
blind people. Employment was limited to educating children at the residential
school for the blind or training blind adults through the state rehabilitation
agency. But Pauline did not want to teach at the school for the blind at the
other end of the state and away from family and friends. With the help of her
family, she opened a private kindergarten, Los Niños, in Santa Fe, New
Mexico. I do not know if it was the first private school owned and operated
by a blind person in the nation, but if not, it certainly was one of the very
first. Pauline ran her school for many, many years and was a true pioneer. Yet
today, through the work of the National Federation of the Blind, we have an
entire division devoted to blind teachers.
What do the experiences of Albert Gonzales and Pauline Gomez teach us as affiliate
presidents? How can we learn from their lives, and what do we do from here?
Of course there is no one answer. We must start with our fundamental beliefs,
beliefs that have now matured into knowledge, and apply them to the present
situation facing blind people in our individual states. In other words we must
determine what needs to be done, and then we must find a way to make change,
to make a difference.

Some of us have the good
fortune to live in states that have had strong, active affiliates for many years.
That means we have an established infrastructure, making it easier to share
the work, mentor new members, and train up and coming leaders. In other states
our affiliates have been smaller, more isolated, and less active. Still we must
begin at the beginning, start where we are and move forward from there. Many
years ago, when I moved back to New Mexico, I attended a local chapter meeting
in Albuquerque. That was in September of 1980. At the meeting people were invited
to sign up for handicapped day at the state fair. It was the practice to recognize
special groups with free admission on a designated day. On handicapped day blind
people and others with disabilities could enter the fair without paying (along
with their attendants) and would receive a free cheeseburger, Coke, and french
fries from the Hardees hamburger restaurant for lunch. Our chapter meeting was
spent signing people up for handicapped day at the fair.

I was discouraged. In that
room only one blind person was employed. Many of the people in the room were
in their forties or fifties, had gone to the school for the blind, yet had never
worked in their adult lives. That was the condition for blind people in 1980
in Albuquerque, New Mexico. What was the need? Where and how were we to begin?
Of course we had a pressing need to change the rehabilitation system, to help
blind people obtain the training necessary to find work and become self-supporting;
but the immediate need, the more urgent and important need, was to instill hope—the
belief that we could work, could participate, could live normal, active lives.

Making such changes is
not automatic and not easy. When I became blind, I believed I was destined to
be helpless, dependent, and isolated. I think that is a common assumption among
people as they lose sight. Most of us did not have blind role models to encourage
us while growing up, the role models we find in the National Federation of the
Blind. When I was a teenager losing sight and my mother and others tried to
encourage me by telling me of blind people who were doing miraculous things,
I was not encouraged; I was angry.

I was angry because their
dramatic achievements were so at odds with my own experience of blindness. I
did not feel remarkable and knew I could never do remarkable things. I concluded
that the stories of extraordinary blind people must be lies: they must simply
be untrue, or, if the reports were true, it must be that they had had a lot
of help behind the scenes. If the stories were lies, I could not understand
why anyone would want to give false hope to others—I was not encouraged—and
if they were true, that meant that I must be even more inferior than I already
believed because I knew in my heart that I could never be remarkable or achieve
exceptional things. To be average was beyond my ability, and to be remarkable
was absolutely beyond wishing, beyond yearning, beyond hope.
In 1980 what we had in our affiliate were ordinary blind people who had grown
up believing that they could not participate, that they could not earn a living,
and that they could not be in charge of their own lives. To begin turning this
around, we had to start learning what we could do through collective action.
We decided that we needed a blind person on the board of regents of the school
for the blind. The school was NAC (National Accreditation Council for the Blind)-accredited
and unresponsive to our views. They fought our efforts to have a blind person
appointed and were successful. The school had a lot of contacts, a lot of credibility,
and a lot of political support.

We failed in our efforts
to get a blind person appointed, but we did not give up. We next went to the
legislature asking for a bill to be introduced that would require the board
of regents to include a blind person. We learned much along the way; we found
that you can get just about any bill you want introduced—any bill. If you go
to a local legislator and say, "You know, I think Groundhog Day is very
important and is really overlooked and underappreciated," the legislator
will most likely thump you on the back and say, "I share your concern,
and, by golly, I will be glad to put in a bill for you making this state give
Groundhog Day the respect it deserves." As I say, it is easy to get a bill
introduced.

It does not mean that you
can get any bill you want passed. That is a very different matter. We found
a bill sponsor, and sure enough she put in a bill calling for a blind person
to serve on the board of regents. She introduced our bill, but she neglected
to tell us when the first hearing was scheduled. With no one there to speak
for the bill and school officials quietly working behind the scenes to have
it killed, the bill was tabled. Tabling a bill is a common way of killing a
bill without killing it. Generally someone asks a question or offers some other
reason why the committee cannot act on the bill at that time, so it is tabled
for later action, but it never gets scheduled. In fact it never sees the light
of day and dies.

We lost, but we did not
lose all. We scared the school for the blind; we showed them we had energy and
commitment, even if we lacked sophistication. They got busy and found a blind
person who would be in their camp—not rock the boat, not push for meaningful
change—and they got the governor to appoint him to the board. Then they could
say to the legislature that there was no reason to amend state law because they
already had a blind person on the board of regents. So we lost. We failed in
our attempt to change the governance of the school. We should have been depressed,
sad, demoralized; but of course we were not. We felt the injustice of what had
happened, and it made us more resolved.

We lost in our attempt
to change state law, but the experience helped to show us that blind people
could take charge of our own lives, that we had power and could make a difference.
Is having a blind person appointed to the board of regents of your state’s school
for the blind the most pressing need in your state? I have no way to know. I
do not even know if it was the most pressing need in New Mexico at that time,
but it was a need that was in front of us, and it energized us and gave us focus.

We battled with the school
for years, trying to get the board to drop the school’s NAC accreditation, and
by so doing we strengthened the affiliate. Blind people began seeing that there
was a reason for being part of the organization beyond social activities, beyond
signing up for a handicapped-day activity. Yet of course we never demeaned handicapped
day at the fair or the people who enjoyed it and looked forward to it. We never
put it down or suggested that people who liked going were in any way deficient.
We never said that it was something that hurt blind people—our public image
and our self-image. Yet, as our members became more active—growing in self-respect—signing
up people for handicapped day at the fair went by the way, replaced by other
issues, other priorities.

In 1994 I moved from New
Mexico to northern Virginia. As I prepared to move, I thought back to my first
chapter meeting fourteen years earlier. Perhaps fifteen people were in attendance
that day, and only one had a job. At my last chapter meeting in 1994 about seventy
people were present, and everyone in the room was either working or in college—everyone!
These were the same blind people who had been living in the state in 1980, people
who had never worked, never believed they could work, never been encouraged
to work; yet they were now working because of the National Federation of the
Blind. Of course to go to college, to go to work, takes resources. We had to
make changes in the rehabilitation agency system, creating a separate commission
for the blind. But beyond the structure, what we really did was take our philosophy,
our belief in the ability of blind people, and combined it with the resources
of a state agency.

The commission for the
blind provided training. It gave people the chance to learn how to travel with
a white cane, to learn to read and write Braille, and to master needed technology.
The commission sent people to college and helped them find jobs, but at its
core the commission integrated what we believed about the abilities of blind
people into its services. This is good rehabilitation; it works and the blind
of the state are its beneficiaries. We believed in people. We shared the National
Federation of the Blind with everyone we could find, and the commission for
the blind was our ally, encouraging people and promoting high expectations,
and it is still happening today.
It is happening in New Mexico, and it is happening in Iowa. It is no surprise
that today the New Mexico Commission for the Blind and the Iowa Department for
the Blind battle back and forth each year to see which agency will have the
highest wages for its clients at closure. It is no coincidence that New Mexico
(which by the way has the highest wages in the nation this year) and Iowa consistently
rank at the top in real earnings for the people they serve. And that is not
just when comparing them to other agencies serving the blind; that is compared
to all rehabilitation agencies across the nation. Why do New Mexico and Iowa
always rank at the top? Is it because New Mexico and Iowa are wealthy states
with superior job opportunities? This year New Mexico is the only state in the
country that places clients in jobs paying more than the state average. This
is from a state that, when I was there, ranked forty-third in the nation in
per capita income.

So why does the New Mexico
Commission for the Blind do so well? Because of the National Federation of the
Blind and integrating our philosophy into its programs. Most states are afraid
to join with us openly, fearing criticism for taking sides, but the ones that
do are invariably the high-performing ones. Not because they side with us against
others, but because they know that the essence of good rehabilitation is high
expectations, helping people learn to believe in themselves and learn that they
do not have to be powerless but can be in charge of their own lives and achieve
their goals and that the agency will stand with them.

We created the New Mexico
Commission for the Blind. It was not easy, but we knew that it was important.
We first tried in the 1970’s and were not successful. In 1985 we went back to
the legislature and tried again, and again we lost, but we got closer than we
ever had before. Our bill had passed the senate and had made its way through
the relevant house committees. On the last day of the legislature, our bill
was up for final passage in the house. Unfortunately the house and senate were
battling over issues unrelated to us. As a result both the house and the senate
decided not to take action on any of the remaining bills. Each side was holding
the other’s bills hostage, but we did not know that. We just wanted our bill
to pass. We had worked hard, and it had made its way through the senate and
had been passed out by all of the house committees. All it needed was final
passage. On the last day of the session, the session adjourned, and our bill
died. We had lost.

On the way out I ran into
the director of the state rehabilitation agency, and he was smirking. He had
fought the effort to separate blind services from his agency, and he had won.
A month later, when I wrote inviting him to speak to our state convention, he
wrote back and said that he was too busy preparing for a special session (that
had not been called) to come. In other words he felt that he did not have to
be responsive to the blind of the state and wanted to make sure we knew it.
We were down but not out. I called a new member, Arthur Schreiber, who had just
lost his sight and who at the time was the general manager of the largest radio
station in New Mexico, one of the largest in the entire Southwest. Radio may
not buy ink by the barrel like newspapers, but Arthur had the loudest voice
in the state, so politicians listened when he talked. I called Arthur and told
him that the director of the rehabilitation agency would not come to our convention
and meet with us. Arthur called the speaker of the house and asked him to meet
us for lunch. We drove to Santa Fe in his company car, a Mercedes, and had lunch
with the speaker of the house. The speaker had not supported our bill during
the session, but when we told him of the treatment we had received from the
director of the agency following our defeat—writing to say that he was too busy
to meet with his constituents—the speaker began to understand just how unresponsive
the agency was and why we wanted a change.

The speaker of the house
offered to call the director and tell him to go to our convention and meet with
us. I should have let him make the call, but I was stunned; it was the day before
our convention, and I was not expecting the speaker to offer to take such immediate
action. I wasn't used to being around Arthur and getting that kind of response,
so I told the speaker that calling the director was not necessary. That was
a mistake. It would have shown the director that we were not going away and
that we had some significant clout of our own, but I did not take the chance
when it was offered. Even so, the speaker of the house became our ally and helped
us the following year.

Other things happened to
help win us additional supporters. On the last day of the session we were sitting
in the first row of the gallery, looking down on the house floor. We wanted
to be visible. We had our canes propped against our shoulders, where they could
be seen. Our senate sponsor was in the room, talking with other legislators.
Another legislator came up to him and said, "I think I'll get on the microphone
and ask everybody who supports the commission for the blind bill to stand up
and take one step forward." This legislator must have thought asking blind
people to take a step forward from the front row of the balcony was a great
joke, but our bill sponsor did not think it was funny. From that moment it became
personal and the next year he worked even harder for us.

We had no high-priced lobbyists.
We had only ourselves and our dreams. We had people who believed that they could
take charge of their own lives, people who wanted to be employed and to have
the chance to be productive. The next year, 1986, we went back to the legislature,
and this time we were successful in passing the bill to create the New Mexico
Commission for the Blind. We made a difference. We reshaped services for the
blind in the state. We created the opportunity for blind people to get the training
and services they needed to go to work, but the most important thing was that
it showed us, the blind of the state, that we could take charge of our own lives,
that we did not need to live in dependency and poverty, that by standing together
we could forge our own destiny.

One of our members who
testified at a legislative hearing was a woman who worked in the sheltered workshop.
During her testimony she held up her most recent paycheck. For two weeks of
work she had earned only $5.27. Her story was powerful. It made a difference
to the members of the legislature present in the room that day, but it also
made a difference to her. Working in a sheltered workshop making $5.27 for two
weeks work does not instill confidence; it does not help you believe that you
are in charge of your own life; it does not encourage you to feel like a normal,
capable, productive individual. But when she spoke to the legislature and talked
of the injustice she and other blind people faced, her testimony helped us pass
our bill, and it gave her strength to stand up for herself and others.

What we must do as affiliate
presidents is to look at conditions in our states and see what needs to be done.
Perhaps you live in a state with a strong affiliate. If so, you have an advantage,
a head start. But whether your affiliate is mature or fledgling, the same need
exists. We must focus our members on working to improve our collective lot,
our collective opportunity. This will change your state, and in the process
it will change us: it will give us new strength and confidence.

This morning Mrs. Jernigan
spoke about how Dr. Jernigan felt when he walked into the convention hall—the
uplift of spirit and the sense of excitement and hope. I share the same feeling.
The convention is powerful. We receive a wealth of information, but it is being
in a room with three thousand of my brothers and sisters, being where people
believe that blindness does not mean inferiority, does not mean helplessness,
that makes the difference in my life. It is rejuvenating, and I believe it is
something that every blind person needs.
When we try to recruit new members, what can we do to bring them in and make
them a part of our movement? First we must be respectful of where they are—whether
confident and accomplished or fearful and isolated. Next we must channel their
interests and encourage them to be involved. We must put them to work to show
them that through our collective labor we can be in charge of our own lives,
our own destinies.

In Virginia we recently
started a new parents division. We have not had one for some time and needed
to get it going again. Last fall we held a seminar for parents of blind children.
We will hold a second one this spring in another part of the state. Next month
we will have a membership drive in Charlottesville. If we are able to recruit
new members, capture their interest, capture their imagination and commitment,
we will be stronger as an affiliate; and they will be stronger as individuals.
We are not selling snake oil. This is serious work. We are offering people something
that they personally and urgently need. So where should we concentrate our energy?
The national level? Absolutely. The affiliate level? Absolutely. The local level?
Absolutely. At all levels of our organization, local, state, and national. If
we have strong chapters, we will have a strong affiliate. And if we have strong
affiliates, we will have a strong and dynamic national organization.

As in open systems theory
we have the choice to live or die, to grow and expand or to fade away, to stave
off entropy through negative entropy or to give up. If we are not growing, we
are dying. We must continuously look for ways to find blind people, to focus
their energy and ability, their time, their money, and their imagination in
support of an overarching, fundamental belief in our basic equality. When I
joined the Federation, I found blind people whom I could admire, blind people
who were living active, productive lives, blind people doing interesting things
and doing them without fear and without reservation. When Dr. Maurer takes the
gavel and conducts our convention, he is a living testament to what we believe:
that we can be in charge of our own destiny through our collective work. He
gives us confidence and perspective, and by extension, through his personal
dignity he gives us dignity. Before finding the Federation, I could not have
believed that I could live a dignified life, full of challenges and rewards.

This is who and what we
are. We work hard to expand opportunities for blind people. We may work to have
a blind person appointed to the board of regents of the state’s school for the
blind, we may work to restructure rehabilitation services, we may work to start
or rebuild a parents division, we may work on outreach to blind people who need
us and who do not know about us, but whatever the activity, the bedrock of what
we do is to help blind people develop a belief in our basic equality and over
time help that belief mature into knowledge. We must teach through action. What
we say about blindness is true. As we do more and touch the lives of more people,
we are made stronger as an organization, and our members are made stronger as
individuals. This is our mission. This is our responsibility and challenge.
Alone we have only ourselves; together we have the power to change our lives.
Alone we are vulnerable to entropy—to the death of spirit; together our future
is bright. This is the National Federation of the Blind—the promise of real
equality—equality not just as hope or even belief, but as certainty, as knowledge.

No Boundaries

by Fredric K. Schroeder

From the Editor:
Blind Industries and Services of Maryland (BISM) is a thoroughly modern industries
and rehabilitation program. Its associates and students understand that nothing
but their best efforts will do in a competitive world, but BISM programs are
also undergirded by idealism and dedication to high expectations and helping
everyone to meet or exceed those expectations.

BISM President
Fred Puente’s voice resonates with conviction and passion when he talks about
the organization’s mission. With pride he explains that no one at BISM earns
less than $7 an hour, and many earn a good deal more. Last year the bonus for
associates was $1.24 an hour. Moreover, associates can count on being paid for
forty hours of work a week. If they are sick or need to leave to see a child’s
teacher, for example, their pay will not be docked unless they begin to abuse
the system. As long as they discuss the problem with a supervisor, their colleagues
will scramble to cover for their absence.

In 2006 Puente
expects BISM to do at least $60 million in sales, and it could be a whole lot
more. That’s why BISM is looking for blind people interested in relocating to
become BISM associates. He says, “We are always looking for talented, capable,
committed people who want to become part of this process.” He goes on to explain
that those BISM has hired through the years have all either worked for BISM
or with it. The first group see themselves as employees only; they don’t stay.
The second group quickly become associates, and BISM is eager to identify and
hire forty more of them. Fred Puente encourages anyone seriously interested
in discussing becoming a BISM associate to call Elisa Lebowitz, BISM director
of human resources, at (888) 322-4567 to see what can be worked out.

The following article
appeared in the July 2005 issue of US Business Review. Here it is:

Blind Industries and Services of Maryland is built on a belief in the capabilities
of blind people, explains President Fred Puente. He works with “some of the
most dedicated, committed, caring people” that he has ever known, he says. Many
of them also happen to be blind, but that’s no reflection on their capabilities.
He is president of Blind Industries and Services of Maryland (BISM), which produces
office paper products, janitorial supplies, and cut and sewn products such as
United States Army physical fitness uniforms. It also performs assembly and
packaging. Most important, BISM offers those with blindness or impaired vision
a source of employment and independence, he states.

“There is no question that,
when you feel you have impact on somebody’s life, there is no greater satisfaction
or better reward, in my opinion,” he says. “We give people the opportunity to
become independent and successful individuals.”

BISM also offers employment
services, training, and rehabilitation. It is accredited by the Maryland State
Department of Education, Division of Rehabilitation Services. “We have, in my
opinion, the finest rehab staff in the country,” Puente says.

BISM participates in the
Javits-Wagner-O’Day (JWOD) program and makes Skilcraft products. Federal JWOD
legislation requires government agencies to purchase products from nonprofit
organizations that employ blind and severely disabled people. “I believe when
the government—be it the federal, state, or local—invests in the training of
a blind person, that entity gets back five to six times its investment from
the blind individual,” he states. “When properly trained, they are gainfully
employed, pay income taxes and sales tax on purchases, and are not a drain on
resources, and benefit the community we live in.”

At BISM, “people are part
of the process, and we involve them in the process,” he adds. “There is no top-down
management; the least important position at Blind Industries is mine. We’ve
tried to create an environment where associates feel they have impact and in
fact do have impact on the process and the organization. What underlies the
success of everything is the unquestioned belief in the capabilities of people
who are blind. Anytime we’ve ever taken anyone on a tour of any of our facilities,
their perception of blindness has dramatically changed.”

Associates play a major
role in the business and how it is run. Puente says anyone can come into his
office with an issue or compliment, and they will get answers. People aren’t
afraid to speak up when they spot issues because they don’t have to worry about
losing their income, he says. BISM has a wage continuation program. “All associates
have income guaranteed to them,” he says. “They get a check for forty hours,
whether they are at work or not. It allows people to know that they do have
an impact and that we care about them. We don’t want anybody to not do something
because of fear of losing income.”

The company is also flexible
if employees have appointments or activities they have to attend. “Our commitment
is unmatched here, and it works both ways—the company’s commitment to us as
associates and our commitment to the company, which all reflects to the customer,”
he states. “We write policies at Blind Industries for performers, not problems.
We don’t measure absenteeism; we measure attendance.”

BISM’s monthly attendance
rate exceeds 96.5 percent at its lowest, Puente notes. “I can tell you from
my experience in private industry, if I had had 96.5, I’d be tickled to death,”
he says. “But our requirement is 100 percent attendance. We want every one here.
We need them here.”

With the help of associates,
BISM has adapted to changes in its marketplace, Puente notes. “We’ve had to
develop a much more customer-oriented philosophy,” he says. “We’ve had to deal
with next-day shipments, just-in-time inventory management—we are constantly
accelerating the process wherever possible. We’ve looked to improve equipment
and processes and cross-train everyone here. It’s automated where possible without
the loss of jobs. The whole purpose is to create jobs, but in some places we
have to automate just to compete and create opportunities. Our [return on investment]
at Blind Industries is the number of jobs we can create that allow blind individuals
to be independent, self-supporting, satisfied, tax-paying American citizens.”

Puente encourages companies
to call him with any questions or ideas about working with his company or blind
individuals in general, and to visit BISM. “We would hope someday we are part
of a process where blindness is not an impediment to someone being gainfully
employed,” he says.

He has a message for potential
customers. “Give us the opportunity to fail. If we do, we’ll turn tail and run,
and I have to tell you we don’t own running shoes.”

From the Editor:
Bob Moore and his wife live in a rural area outside of Rochester, Minnesota.
He works at home as an appointment scheduler, but he finds time to make home
repairs and keep the couple’s car running smoothly.

He recently mentioned
car repairs on an NFB listserv, so I asked him to recount some of his war stories
as an inspiration to other blind people who might be a bit nervous about tackling
the kinds of repair jobs Bob takes in his stride. When I asked what kind of
car repairs he has undertaken, this is the list he reeled off: replaced front
brake pads; changed oil, timing belt, and radiator; and installed radio, brake
master cylinder, windshield wiper motor, power steering pump, alternator, starter,
belts, hoses, spark plugs and plug wires, distributor cap and rotor, throttle
body base gasket, and batteries (every winter). Reading through that list persuades
me that he probably even understands the guys on Car Talk. This is
what he says:

As far back as I can remember, I loved to take things apart and figure out how
they work. I took small engine classes in high school and went on to Arkansas
Enterprises for the Blind to earn certification in small engine repair.

Although I didn’t manage
to make a career in the field, I never lost my passion for mechanics in general.
My wife and I got married in the summer of 1992. At that time I had very little
experience with auto repair, but I figured that, if I could learn to fix small
engine equipment, I could learn to do basic auto repair. I concluded very quickly
over time that the price of not learning and having to pay someone big money
every time the car broke down or needed basic maintenance was more than I was
willing to pay.

However, to this day I
would rather leave some things to the professionals, even though I am sure that
I could learn to do them. To my mind the care needed and the risk involved are
not worth the savings. One such thing is replacing gaskets that require applying
sealer. I worry about getting some of the gasket sealer in the oil or antifreeze.
Don’t get me wrong: I am not saying it cannot be done safely and properly. It
just isn’t worth the time to me because it needs to be done so seldom.

My wife drives, so, in
financial self-defense and a love for tinkering with things, I have learned
how to do most basic car repairs myself. I am not a trained mechanic, but I
have become pretty good at it.

One day I was standing
around the shop with the guys, and I mentioned having changed the radiator on
my wife's car. Her brother told me that I could not change a radiator on a car
because “you have to see what you are doing.” I told him that I knew I could
because I had just done it. He still did not believe me and asked, “How can
you do that if you can't see?”

I simply held up my hands
in front of him, said, “I have 20/20 vision right here,” and explained that
I do it all by touch. He continued to maintain that I was lying, so I let it
go.

Knowing what a smart alec
her brother is, my wife had a better answer. I wish I had thought of it. Here
is what she would have said: “Well first I drained the radiator, then I unplugged
the fan and removed it, then I took off the hoses and transmission lines and
removed all the bolts. Finally I removed the radiator. How would you have done
it?”

I am always astounded that
people who work on cars for a living do not understand how a blind person can
work on cars. After all, when mechanics work on cars, they often cannot see
what they are doing because what they are working on is tucked behind some other
part, and they have to get their hands in there and feel what they are doing.

The first time it occurred
to my wife that I do not use the little bit of sight I have while working on
a car was when I was changing a timing belt outside on a friend’s car. It started
to get dark, and my wife came out and said, “Why don’t you come in now?” I said
that I wanted to finish up since I was almost done. She said, “But it’s getting
dark.”

I said, “That doesn’t bother
me; does it bother you?” To this day she still chuckles at that answer.

Another memorable time
we took a trip to visit her parents. Her dad, her brother-in-law, and I were
working on the car. Her dad and her brother-in-law were trying in vain to locate
the one bolt that was keeping the bracket we needed to move from budging. I
said, “Let me get in there and find it for you.” Since I was blind, they were
not going to have any of that. Then came the moment of truth (or maybe opportunity).
They both went into the garage at the same time to chase a wrench. I climbed
under the car, and when they got back, I had identified the bolt and was able
to point it out to them.

I have also tackled other
mechanical projects such as washers and dryers. We had a washing machine that
was leaking, actually dumping water out the bottom. This called for drastic
measures, and fast. Without thinking twice, I took the top completely off and
pulled the drum out into the middle of the floor. By the time my wife arrived
home, I had the washer fixed. I explained exactly what I had done, and she assured
me that she was glad it was fixed and very glad that she did not have to see
the machine all over the floor. She has since become completely comfortable
with my working on the car and doing some appliance repairs and other small
repairs around the house.

Now carpentry is another
matter…. I would like to learn some basic carpentry, but most of it I will leave
to the pros. I know lots of blind people do carpentry, but it’s just not my
thing.

But here is one last subject
that I do feel pretty strongly about. When I am with my wife in the car and
it is time to fill the tank, I always get out and fill it for her. So, to all
you blind men who think that, just because you don’t drive, you don’t have to
fill the tank, I say, be good to your wives. Get out and fill the tank. True,
gas pumps today are not blind-friendly, but that’s okay. Have her make the appropriate
selections on the screen, such as grade and payment type. Then she can climb
back into the warm car while you fill it.

Convention, Freedom,
and the Fourth of July

by Rebekah Jakeman

From the Editor:
Explaining the transformation one has undergone when experiencing the Federation’s
message for the first time challenges and frustrates many of us. We recognize
the importance of communicating what has happened to us to those we love and
who love and respect us. But how does one find the words to express the dawning
of hope and the expansion of expectations when until now blindness has destroyed
both hope and expectation?

Rebekah Jakeman
lives with her law-student husband Dave and their two young children in Provo,
Utah. Though she has been legally blind for many years, she mostly depended
on her vision until five years ago. Then she suddenly lost her remaining sight
and plunged into insecurity and self-doubt. This much Rebekah’s family has known,
but she wanted to communicate to them what happened to her when she met the
National Federation of the Blind. This is the letter she wrote to her family
when she returned home from the 2005 NFB convention. Perhaps it will help others
to find the words to tell their own stories to their loved ones. This is what
she wrote:

Dear Family,

Happy belated Fourth of
July. I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday. I thought I would take just a
few moments to tell you what the Fourth of July has come to mean to me. Freedom
is such an abstract word, but to me it can be symbolized in just three words:
long white cane. Let me explain.

Two years ago found me
extremely frustrated and depressed. I had spent six months slowly figuring out
that the blindness training and skills I had received were not going to do me
any good. My Braille speed was slow; I was very embarrassed to read aloud in
front of people. I rarely used my cane, so I didn’t really know how to use it.
After completing my training—now remember this means I had graduated and was
supposed to be independent—I had to have my instructor come down from Salt Lake
City to show me how to get to the dumpsters from my front door—about fifty yards
away. He also had to show me how to get to the Y Mount [married student housing]
office so that I could pay our rent. Whenever possible, I would just fold up
my cane and hide it. I would gladly take someone’s arm rather than using my
cane because somehow that made me feel as if I was less blind.

Looking back, it is easy
to see that I was not completely comfortable with myself as a blind person.
During this time I applied for several jobs. I wanted to get a job so I could
support Dave through school. Every other wife seemed to do it; why couldn’t
I? But one job after another fell through. To say the least, it was humiliating.
Here I was supposed to be independent and a help to Dave, but I wasn’t. Once,
after an interview, the employer came out of her office, and instead of turning
to me and saying, “I’ll get back to you,” she turned to Dave and said, “I’ll
get back to her, and we’ll see what we have open for her to do.” I felt about
two years old. The employer wasn’t sure how to respond to a blind applicant,
and I was unsure how to educate her about blind people. But I knew one thing
for sure; I didn’t want to spend the rest of my life embarrassed about who I
was.

Things turned around one
day when I received a phone call from Norm Gardner. He told me that he was the
president of the local chapter of the National Federation of the Blind. He and
the chapter were inviting me to attend their national convention in Louisville,
Kentucky—all expenses paid. My first thought was: free trip! I had no idea what
I would do for a week with a bunch of blind people, but I love traveling, so
I was game.

The convention was the
week of July 4. Dave and I were welcomed with open arms by the Utah affiliate.
I wasn’t confident using my cane, but I felt obligated to use it since I was
at a blind convention. Dave noticed that the majority of the crowd were using
long white canes. He attempted to show me their technique, so I could use it
with my fold-up cane. I assured him that there were different kinds of canes
and that it didn’t really matter what kind I used.

One night hit me particularly
hard as I attended a play put on by the Louisiana Center for the Blind (LCB).
I was fascinated with the script: blind actors—what a novel idea that was to
me. The play was about a girl who lost her vision and how her family rallied
around her while some of her friends abandoned her. I remember thinking how
lucky the LCB students were to act in a play. It brought back memories of my
acting days. But those days were gone and with them the hope of ever acting
on stage again.

Through the week, though,
things began to unravel. I had been told by my professional cane-travel instructor
that I probably should not wear flip-flops when using my cane, yet at convention
I saw lots of people wearing flip-flops. I had been told all my life that Braille
was slow and hard to learn and that it wasn’t necessary to know until I was
totally blind, yet all week I saw professional people delivering powerful speeches
that they read in Braille. I met blind lawyers, teachers, parents—all confident,
competent, and able. Slowly the you’re-not-good-enough labels I had been stamping
myself with were slipping away. I could be a good Braille reader. I could be
a competent mother.

But what about the travel?
My rehab counselor had told me that, with all the travel training I had had,
I should be a good traveler. So if I wasn’t, I never would be. He actually said
it more kindly than that, but the message tore me up inside. How am I supposed
to be a mother if I can’t even cross the street. Weeks earlier he and I had
stood at the corner of 9th East, where the old Kent’s Market used to be. I stood
traumatized. I waited light cycle after light cycle, realizing that determining
when to step off the curb and into the road could be a life or death decision.
Finally my instructor had to tell me when to cross, and he crossed right behind
me. From that experience it was easy for me to conclude that I really couldn’t
travel with a cane. He was right; I would never be able to travel. The only
choice I had was to use a sighted guide. That’s fine if someone is already going
to the same destination, but what if no one is?

Back to convention week
two years ago. On the last night a bunch of us went to the river bank behind
the hotel to watch the fireworks display over the Ohio River. There I asked
Ron Gardner, Norm’s brother, about the long white canes I saw people using.
Was it possible for a blind person with two hearing aids to travel? I told him
of my dreams to live abroad. Was it possible for a blind person to travel abroad?
He assured me that it was and pointed out his two hearing aids. He had traveled
to Africa, Australia, South America, etc. I was amazed. I started to cry. Maybe
I wouldn’t have to be stuck at home for the rest of my life. He referred me
to Nick Schmittroth, who came up to us right then. He was a long white cane
travel instructor who had just been hired in Utah, and right then and there
Nick handed me my first long white cane; he actually gave me his, with the comment
that he had an extra back in his hotel room. It was light, easy to use, and
quite long. He explained that, when the cane is longer, it allows one to walk
faster. The cane tip is a couple of paces ahead of you and gives you enough
time to react to steps, bumps, or curbs. So as fireworks burst in the sky behind
me, I was given a quick lesson in confidence and cane use.

Now, just two years later,
I have returned to Louisville, Kentucky, for my third national NFB convention.
Because of all the craziness around here, I went to convention without Dave
and the kids. I flew with three other blind friends. You can only imagine some
of the reactions we got. The first day was a little unsettling since major reconstruction
had been done on the hotel, and I had to relearn where everything was. But it
didn’t take long to figure out where things were by using my cane and getting
good directions. By the second day I was going out around the hotel getting
to where I needed to go. In the NFB we define independence as going where you
want to go, when you want to go, with the least inconvenience to you or others.
This ideal is not always possible for either blind or sighted people. Sometimes
a blind person has to use a sighted guide and at other times a cane. The point
is, though, that the blind person gets to choose. If one doesn’t have the skills,
he or she is forced to use sighted guides all the time, and often that is inconvenient
for others. Example: before I had cane training I would take Dave’s arm to travel
everywhere. But if I had to use the restroom, Dave obviously couldn’t come in
with me. So we would have to wait until a woman walked past on her way to the
rest room and ask her to assist me. Obviously this was not a very efficient
method. Now I am pleased to announce that with my cane skills I can go into
a restroom when I want or need to without waiting for others.

At this convention I felt
completely independent. I would leave my room cane in hand and head to the meeting-room
floors. I would ask where a particular room was and be off. I even went outside,
traveling around downtown Louisville alone or with friends. It was the first
time as a blind person that I was able to go where I wanted, when I wanted—I
finally felt free. Then, on July the Fourth, I stood on the stage and acted
in the LCB play. Ironically, I played the part of a cane-travel instructor who
did not believe long white canes were necessary or effective. One of my lines
was, “I spent four to five weeks teaching my students sighted-guide techniques.”
At the end of the play my character had a change of heart and used a long white
cane because, “I should be able to do what I expect my students to do.” The
entire audience burst into applause when they discovered my character had decided
to use a long white cane. In that moment I felt that some of the applause was
for me too. I had finally learned the glorious blessings of traveling with a
cane. My Heavenly Father had blessed me to come further than I ever thought
possible.

After the play I stood
on the bank of the Ohio River with some friends to watch the fireworks. Among
these was Ron Gardner, who had told me just two years earlier that it was possible
for a blind person to travel. For me this was the biggest celebration of freedom
because I no longer needed to trust someone else’s assessment that I could or
couldn’t travel with a cane. I knew from my own experience that I can travel.
To me that is what freedom is: finding happiness and success in believing in
yourself. God has given me the gift of a long white cane and the NFB. The Fourth
of July will always be a very special holiday for me. It was the day I was given
my life back and the day I was given my mental freedom to believe the impossible.

Love you all,
Rebekah

Texas Calling

by Elizabeth Campbell

From the Editor:
This year’s convention promises something for everyone. In the following article
Liz Campbell, president of the Ft. Worth Chapter, throws out a few more hints
about places to go and things to see. This is what she says:

“Howdy, folks!” That’s the greeting of the famous cowboy, Big Tex, who welcomes
visitors to the Texas State Fair each year. The Texas affiliate wants to welcome
everyone to the biggest and best convention ever. I wanted to give you some
idea of our wonderful headquarters hotel as well as notions of things to do
outside meetings and general sessions. The Hilton Anatole promises to be a fantastic
hotel for our meetings and just for having fun. It offers something for everyone,
from a luxurious spa and fitness center to a disco. Art lovers will enjoy the
many bronze sculptures and porcelain pieces, including many from Asia, collected
by the hotel’s owner, Trammell Crow. Take special note of the two elephants
made of monkey wood that stand guard near the Chantilly Ballroom, where our
general sessions will take place. The elephants were placed in the Anatole to
welcome the 1984 Republican national convention to Dallas.

After you’ve settled into
your room, take time to explore the Hilton Anatole, because there is lots of
ground to cover, literally. This article is not meant to be a definitive guide
to the hotel, but here are some helpful hints. The Anatole is divided into several
areas, including the eleven-story atrium and the tower. The atrium houses several
restaurants, shops, and guest rooms. One of the shops is Collages, a gift shop
with lots of Texas souvenirs. The Terrace restaurant, with a casual dining atmosphere,
is also located in the atrium area.

The tower area, which also
houses the Gossip Bar, the business center, and more guest rooms, is where our
general sessions and many other meetings and seminars will be located. In true
Texas fashion the doors to the Chantilly Ballroom are large enough for an eighteen-wheeler
to drive through.

Let’s move on from the
Anatole to other points of interest since you will want to take a break or two
during the busy week. By now you should be making plans to participate in the
many tours that our affiliate has scheduled. The tours criss-cross an area known
as the Metroplex. Dallas, Fort Worth, and Arlington are the three major cities,
each having its unique charm and style. North Texas is one of the fastest growing
areas in the United States, and around 5.7 million people call Dallas/Fort Worth
home

In Dallas you will find
lively night life, along with shopping and restaurants to suit any taste and
price range. Dallas, which was an agricultural center and an important railroad
stop, has a unique history. You will see some of the city’s past during tours,
including the stop at the Sixth Floor Museum, the site of the Texas School Book
Depository, where Lee Harvey Oswald shot President John F. Kennedy. In Fort
Worth, which embodies the famous saying, “Where the West begins,” is a unique
mix of cowboys, rodeos, art museums, and a world-renowned piano competition.

Fort Worth’s beginnings
were all about cattle and railroads because the city was the last stop along
the Chisholm Trail as the cowboys drove the herds north to Kansas City. Speaking
of cattle, the city owns a herd of Longhorns that are driven daily from the
stockyards south to the Trinity River. The two cities, Fort Worth and Dallas,
about thirty miles apart, have always been rivals. Legend has it that Amon Carter
Sr., a former publisher of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram newspaper, refused to
eat lunch in Dallas.

If you plan on sticking
close to the hotel, Dallas offers great entertainment areas, including Greenville
Avenue, the West End, and Deep Elum. For more details on these places, call
the Dallas Convention and Visitors Bureau, (214) 571-1300.

If you feel like venturing
out of Dallas, head for Union Station and take the Trinity Railway Express to
Fort Worth. The train stops at the Intermodal Transportation Center, on the
southeastern edge of downtown. From there, travel north to the historic stockyards
district or head west to the Cattle Raisers Museum and the National Cowgirl
Hall of Fame. One of the inductees is retired Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day
O’Connor. Other places to unwind include the Fort Worth Zoo and the Botanic
Gardens. For more information call the Fort Worth Convention and Visitors Bureau
at (817) 336-8791.

Another large city, Arlington,
sits between Dallas and Fort Worth. The future home of the Dallas Cowboys, Arlington
is the home of amusement parks with Six Flags Over Texas and a water park called
Wet & Wild. For more information, call the Arlington Visitors Bureau at
(817) 265-7721.

Now that you are making
plans to spend time in Texas, here are a few useful things to know. The popular
soft drink, Dr. Pepper, was invented in Waco in 1885, and the original formula
is still made in Dublin, Texas. Rodeo is the official state sport of Texas,
but high school football is more popular. Seventy-five percent of the Snickers
bars in the world are made at the M&M Mars company in Waco. Finally, did
you know it’s illegal to write graffiti on someone else’s cow?

source: <www.legendsofamerica.com>

A Breakfast Moment

by Mark Taylor

From the Editor:
Mark Taylor has lived in California for twenty years, though he was born in
Kentucky. He owns a small business, is a professional musician, and serves as
a city commissioner in Redondo Beach. He also sits on the city’s Handicap Appeals
Board.

Though the following
article is written as fiction, Mr. Taylor says that everything but the ending
is autobiographical fact. He has told the story through the years but decided
that the time had come to put it on paper. Sadly, his story is not unique, but
perhaps it may help other families understand the impact of thoughtless cruelty
on a blind child. Here it is:

“No, Mama!” the teary-eyed seven-year-old boy cries as his mother’s closed fist
jets through the air towards him. “No!” She strikes his face hard, and he crashes
backward into the wall.

“I’m sick of you,” she
yells at the half-dazed child lying on the floor. “I’m so tired of having to
watch you all the time because you can’t see. Why did you have to be born blind?
What did I do to deserve this?”

She walks over to him.
Sensing her approach, he instinctively raises his hands to defend against another
blow. With desperation in his voice, her child pleads, “But I can see, Mama,
just not as good as everybody else—I really can.”

His words make her stop,
unclench her fists, and think about what she is doing. She looks down at her
baby boy and sees fear—the fear she has caused—reflected in his face. She kneels
down, gently pulls him up towards her, and holds him. They cry together. She
says, sobbing, “I know you can see a little, but it’s not enough. You keep bumping
into things, hurting yourself, and breaking stuff. I get so tired. Sometimes
I wish you had never been born. At least then you wouldn’t suffer so, and I
wouldn’t have to see you suffer.”
Still crying, the boy pulls back from her saying, “But Mama, I’m not suffering.
My eyes don’t hurt unless you hit me. I’m sorry I knocked over the coffee table
again. I won’t do it anymore.”

Hello, God. I am sorry for not talking to you lately, but I’ve been so sad.
I guess you already know I made Mama mad today when I knocked over a plant in
the living room. I didn’t mean to do it. She keeps it so dark in there, and
she’s always moving things around. I try to remember where everything is, but
sometimes I forget when I’m running. I can see, though, I really can. I just
can’t see as well as my brother and everybody else.

Please forgive me for making
Mama mad today. Forgive her for hitting me. She doesn’t want to be so mean;
she’s just mad at me for being blind. But I’m not really blind; I can see—just
not as good as—well, you know.

I’ve been sad, God, because
lately the kids in the neighborhood have been picking on me. You know, they
throw rocks and hit me in the head, then they run just far enough away so I
can’t see them. It’s not fair, God; it’s so not fair. Why can’t I see like everybody
else, Lord? They say in church that you love everyone, but if that’s true, why
don’t you let me see good? Don’t you love me like you love everyone else?

My brother runs away with
the other kids, and when I ask him to tell me who threw the rocks, he won’t.
I know it’s wrong to hate anybody, but sometimes I really hate my mother and
my brother. She likes him better than me. She tells me that all the time. If
I could see better, I would run away from this place.

She says it’s my fault
that my father left. She says he blames her for giving birth to a “blind mutant.”
What’s a blind mutant, Lord? Oh well, I guess it doesn’t matter. Whatever it
is, I guess I’m it. She says that I ruined her life and the life of my brother.
Please forgive me for doing that, Lord, please. I didn’t mean to be born blind.

I wish my grandmother was
still here. Why did you take her away? Is she happy now? If you don’t understand
everything I’m saying, just ask her to explain it to you. She really understands.
She knows I can see, but just not as well as everybody else. Tell her I said
“hey.”

Tomorrow my aunts and cousins
are coming to visit for a couple of days. I don’t like it when they’re here.
Everybody always treats me like I’m stupid just because I can’t see well. I’ll
be glad when they leave.

The boy, his mother, his
ten-year-old brother, his mother’s two sisters, and his four cousins are sitting
at a mahogany table in their cozy, low-ceilinged kitchen. He and the other five
children are wearing superhero pajamas. The three women wear simple dresses.
His mother’s older sister, whom he thinks of as “Big Aunt” because of her huge,
mushy tummy, asks, “Who wants eggs?”

“I do,” he says eagerly
lifting his plate towards her voice.

“Put that plate down, Boy,”
his mother commands impatiently. “The last thing I need is to have to clean
up something you knock over.” His cousins giggle. He immediately lowers his
plate to the table, his appetite and enthusiasm for both the meal and his relatives
draining away.

His mother’s younger sister,
whom he thinks of as “Snooty Aunt” because of her incessant bragging about her
husband and two little girls, her house, her gardener, her car, her jewelry,
her clothes, her looks, her friends, her regularity, and anything else she can
lay claim to says to him, “Just wait. We’ll get to you. Sit there and be still.”

The country-style kitchen
is bathed in morning sunlight from the windows on either side of the table.
At one end stands a vintage refrigerator and a large single sink. At the other
end of the room stands a much-used four-burner gas stove beside a tall, glass-paneled
china cabinet. The room is filled with the aroma of freshly brewed coffee.

Big Aunt begins ladling
out mounds of hot scrambled eggs to his cousins, who to his and his brother’s
disappointment are all girls. One of his cousins says, “Can someone pass the
bacon?”

The plate of bacon begins
its journey around the table. As it moves from person to person, its delicious
cargo is reduced by two and three pieces at a time. As it approaches him, he
raises his hand uncertainly to take a piece, but noticing this, his mother raises
the plate and passes it to his brother instead. His mother says to his aunts,
“He’s always trying to do things he can’t see well enough to do, and he’s always
knocking things over.”

His youngest cousin, who
is four, says to her mother, “That’s because he’s blinder than a bat, right,
Mommy?”

Everyone, including the
adults, laughs. Well, not everyone; the embarrassed and hurt little boy doesn’t
laugh; no, he doesn’t laugh at all.

“There,” his mother says, setting his plate of bacon and eggs down in front
of him. “Now try not to make a mess.” He picks up his fork and knife and slowly
begins to eat his breakfast.

“Anyway,” Snooty Aunt says
to his mother while putting a bite in her mouth, “you can see why I married
a good, hardworking, educated man.” His mother lowers her head in shame.

“It’s not her fault,” Big
Aunt chimes in, “she always did make dumb choices and pick losers, even when
we were kids. Remember?”
Everyone is eating now, and except for the voice of each speaker, the boy hears
only the sounds of utensils scraping against the thick, long-used plates. “Yeah,”
Snooty Aunt replies. “Remember that time when she tried to cheat on the reading
test in school? She copied the answers from the dumbest girl in class.” His
cousins and brother laugh.

His four-year-old cousin
asks innocently, “Mommy, when are we going to the zoo so I can see what a black
sheep looks like?”
Big Aunt looks at her sharply and snaps, “Be quiet.”

“But Mommy,” the little
one says, confused, “you said she’s the black sheep of the family, didn’t you?”

Six junior-size hands reach
out to pick up six jelly jars of orange juice and tip them back towards six
open mouths. After returning his glass to the table, his brother says, “Hey,
where’s the toast?”

The rest of the children
echo in unison, “Hey yeah.”

Seizing the opportunity
to remove herself from her sisters’ little stroll down memory lane, his mother
quickly walks over to begin dropping slices of bread into the toaster. Looking
back at her older son, she says, “Get the jelly out of the refrigerator,” and
he does.
Returning to the breakfast table, his mother sets a plate of hot toast beside
two jars of jelly. Sitting back down next to him, she says, “Who wants strawberry
jelly on their toast?” It’s my favorite.”

Big Aunt answers, “I’ll
take the grape. I can’t stand that strawberry stuff you buy.” His cousins declare
in humorous staccato, “Me too.”

Snooty Aunt says to his
mother, “You never did have good taste in anything. Do you really like that
strawberry stuff? Here, let me do that.” She takes the knife his mother was
about to use, opens the jar of grape jelly, and begins spreading it on a slice
of toast.

He can feel his mother’s
embarrassment and uneasiness returning. She wants to say something in her own
defense, but as always when dealing with her sisters, she does not. Snooty Aunt
looks at his brother and says, “Ok, it’s your turn, my handsome, young nephew.

Which one do you want:
the strawberry or the grape?”

His brother responds without
hesitation, “The grape please. I don’t like the strawberry either.”

Finally, after taking care
of everyone else, she looks at him and says triumphantly, “Ok, let’s see which
one our little blind man will choose. Which one would you like? There are two
jars of jelly in front of you. One is strawberry, and the other is grape. So
which one will it be?”

Like everyone else but
his mother, he hates strawberry jelly. Like everyone else he wants grape jelly.
Unlike anyone else at the table, however, this belittled, berated and unwanted
seven-year-old, visually impaired child can feel his mother’s pain; in that
moment, that one incredible breakfast moment, he feels sorry for her and loves
her.

After a pause he says with
absolute confidence, “I want the strawberry jelly. I can’t stand that grape
stuff. It’s disgusting. Once it even made me sick at my tummy. My mom knows
what’s best, and she and I always eat the best, and the best is strawberry,
not grape.” Snooty Aunt’s mouth falls open. His mother, for almost the first
time since his birth, takes his hand and doesn’t let go.

No one else ever understood what happened in that moment, that breakfast moment,
as he came to think of it—no one but him and his mother. Even now, when he sits
in his soft leather executive chair at the headquarters of the company he built,
he finds himself thinking about it from time to time. No matter how many years
go by, he remembers that breakfast moment and asks himself why, after all the
cruel things she’d done to him when he’d needed her the most, he had sided with
her.

“Because that’s the way
love goes,” he whispers.

“Sir?” his executive secretary
asks as she guides him through a dimly lighted five-star hotel lobby on the
way to a meeting with his board of directors. “What did you say?”

“Oh nothing,” he says with
a sigh, “I was just thinking about something that happened many years ago.”

2006 Convention
Attractions

by Mark Taylor

From the Editor:
Every year’s national convention is an absolutely unique event. The agenda items,
the exhibits, the new friends and business acquaintances: all these give each
convention its own character and significance. Some activities lend a luster
to the convention in part because they do take place every year and provide
helpful fixed points in the whirl of events. In this category are the meetings
of the Resolutions Committee and the board of directors, the annual banquet,
and the many seminars and workshops of the various divisions and committees.
Here is a partial list of activities being planned by a number of Federation
groups during the 2006 convention, July 1 through July 7. Presidents of divisions,
committee chairpeople, and event presenters have provided the information. The
agenda will list the locations of all events taking place during convention
week.

Access Technology Day at National Convention
by Steve Booth

This year our technology day conducted by the International Braille and Technology
Center staff is Saturday, July 1, from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. We are offering
four sessions covering a wide variety of topics that have been of interest to
our members this last year. We have both high-tech and low-tech offerings, so
something is bound to please almost everyone. Our first morning session explores
the world of PDAs. Find out what all the talk is about and how these personal
data assistants may work best for you. The second morning session looks at DAISY-reading
hardware and software. Find out what DAISY stands for and discover how accessible
it is.

In the afternoon we take
a look at today's cell phones and their accessibility in 2006. Talking software
for cell phones is becoming more widely available on several product brands
and models. We'll tell you about some of the models to consider purchasing and
how they work.

Our final session looks
at the current and future state of consumer electronics. If you have shopped
for appliances recently, you most likely became frustrated by all the flat screens
and small visual displays in use today. Attend our session to find out which
products are usable and learn about what efforts the NFB is undertaking to improve
the accessibility of consumer products.

An advocacy skills training seminar will be offered this year at the national
convention on Wednesday evening, July 5, from 7:00 to 10:00 p.m. The purpose
of this concentrated, fast-paced, interactive session will be to equip affiliate
leaders and Federation members with basic skills they can use in many advocacy
situations: offering public presentations, developing negotiation and mediation
techniques, sharpening interviewing and listening skills, documenting interactions,
de-escalating emotional or potentially volatile encounters, and more. In addition
to surveying and practicing essential advocacy skills, we will include brief
vignettes on current issues regularly faced by advocates working in the blindness
field, e.g., employment discrimination, Social Security issues, challenges in
special education, dog guide access, etc.

Polishing the presentations
and improving the effectiveness of affiliate volunteer advocates will benefit
our members, allies, and social cause. Well-trained volunteer advocates imbued
with our fundamental philosophy about blindness will serve both as ambassadors
for our organizational mission and in support of individual members and friends
who face systemic discrimination or misunderstanding arising from blindness-related
questions.

In preparing this agenda,
we will survey affiliate leaders about the issues and general advocacy skills
they would like to have addressed during this seminar. Please plan to join us
in this first general advocacy skills workshop. Together we can create a program
that offers value to both currently active and aspiring organizational advocates.

BLIND, Inc., Karaoke
Night
by Shawn Mayo

Whether you are a contender to become the next American Idol, shatter
the stereotype about blind people possessing great musical talent, or fall somewhere
between, you'll have a great time at BLIND, Incorporated's, annual Karaoke Night
on Saturday, July 1, from 8:00 p.m. to midnight. Bring all your friends or come
make new ones and enjoy music, door prizes, and a cash bar.

Sing solo, with a group,
or just sit back and enjoy the musical stylings of your fellow Federationists.
Be sure to get there early to hear NFB President Marc Maurer sing. And, if that's
not enough, come find out what song the BLIND, Incorporated, staff and students
will sing this year. Meet current students and alumni as they share their experiences
from training.

Admission is only $5, and
song lists will be available in Braille that night.

Don't miss your chance
to be a rock star.

Blind Professional Journalists Group
by Elizabeth Campbell

I am pleased to announce that the Blind Professional Journalists Group will
meet from 1:00 to 2:00 p.m. on Monday, July 3. I am excited about meeting those
of you who are interested in exploring the ever-changing journalism profession
as a possible career. We welcome students as well as others who are interested
in working in print or broadcast journalism.

Please consult the agenda
for the meeting location. If you have questions prior to the convention, please
contact me evenings at (817) 738-0350. You may also send email to <[email protected]>.

Braille Carnival
Buddies Help Needed
by Melissa Riccobono

Once again buddies are needed for the Braille Carnival at the NFB national convention.
The Braille Carnival is a fun-filled opportunity to help blind and sighted children
between the ages of six and eleven participate in a variety of Braille and carnival
activities. If you enjoy working with children, this would be a wonderful activity
for you to get involved in. You do not need to be a Braille reader in order
to be a carnival buddy.

This year the format for
the Braille Carnival will be a bit different. We will conduct two one-hour carnival
sessions during the afternoon of Saturday, July 1. The first session will take
place from 1:30 to 2:30, and the second session will follow, from 2:45 to 3:45.
We prefer that you work both sessions, but if you cannot, arrangements can be
made to accommodate you.

If you are interested in
being a carnival buddy or if you have questions about this event, please contact
Melissa Riccobono by email at <[email protected]>, or by phone at (410)
235-3073.

An Evening at the Colorado Center for the Blind
by Julie Deden

Take charge. Challenge yourself. Drop by the CCB open house on Wednesday, July
5, from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m. The staff and students at the Colorado Center for
the Blind invite you to discover what good training can do for you.

· Practice using
a long white cane with our travel instructors.
· Meet our employment staff and take a quick career assessment survey.
· Create a piece of art with our art instructor.
· Try out a Braille puzzle.
· Learn about exciting innovations in the area of adaptive technology.
· Pick up some recipes and practice your techniques in food preparation.

We look forward to seeing
you on Wednesday, July 5, at our open house.

Colorado Center for the Blind Alumni Gathering
by Julie Deden

Reunite with your CCB friends on Tuesday, July 4, at lunchtime. We look forward
to seeing you then.

Deaf-Blind Division
by Robert Eschbach

The Deaf-Blind Division will conduct two meetings during the National Federation
of the Blind convention. The first meeting will be on Monday evening, July 3,
beginning at 7:00 when we share information about new technology and programs
of interest. The second meeting will be Wednesday evening, July 5. Registration
begins at 6:00 p.m., and the business meeting begins at 7:00 p.m. Agenda items
include discussion of future programming for the Deaf-Blind Division and an
election for officers and board members.

If you need financial assistance
to attend the convention or require interpreter services, please contact Bob
Eschbach, president, (520) 836-3689 or email <[email protected]>. All
requests must be made by May 15.

Diabetes Action Network Seminar
by Lois Williams

The Diabetes Action Network seminar will be held Monday, July 3, from 1:00 to
5:00 p.m. The theme is "Bee Heart Smart." To help reduce the risk
of heart disease and other diabetes complications, those with diabetes should
be as busy as bees (physically active) and wise as owls (informed about diabetes).

Employment Committee Seminar
by Buna Dahal

Meet dynamic professionals, shake hands, and make that first connection. The
NFB Employment Committee will conduct an employment seminar filled with variety
on Saturday, July 1.

If you are asking, “Why
should I attend the employment seminar?” these are the benefits:

* Learn how to make the
jobs come to you.
* Experience the impact of an informational interview.
* Learn the value of mentoring and role modeling.
* Realize that getting a job is more than writing a resume.
* Understand the value of networking.

On Sunday, July 2, the Department of Affiliate Action is hosting an informative
and fun-filled seminar, completely in Spanish. This seminar will feature presentations
from dynamic Hispanic Federationists, Latin sounds from a group of talented
musicians, and much more! The seminar is geared to native Spanish speakers and
will address many issues and concepts obscured by language barriers. This will
be a time to learn more about the NFB and to network with others. If you are
interested in helping, please contact Rosy Carranza at (410) 659-9314, ext.
2283, or by email at <[email protected]>.

Ham Radio Group
Emergency Preparedness Seminar
by D. Curtis Willoughby

In accord with long-standing tradition, the first meeting of the 2006 convention
will be the Emergency Preparedness Seminar conducted by the NFB Ham Radio Group.
The seminar will be held at 7:30 a.m. on Saturday, July 1. We will discuss frequencies
to be used during the convention, especially those to be used in the event of
an emergency call-out. We will also discuss those architectural features of
the convention hotels and other information that NFB hams need to know if an
emergency response is necessary.

Any Dallas hams willing
to do a little frequency scouting before the convention are asked to contact
Curtis, KA0VBA, (303) 424-7373, <[email protected]>. The Ham Radio
Group has a service project to serve the Federation by handling the distribution
of the special FM receivers to allow hearing-impaired conventioneers to hear
a signal directly from the public address system, which is much easier to understand
than the sound that normal hearing aids pick up in a meeting. These same receivers
are used to allow Spanish speakers who do not understand English fluently to
hear a Spanish translation of the convention and the banquet.

We will take some time
at the Emergency Preparedness Seminar to prepare for this project as well. It
is important that all group members willing to help come to the seminar.

Ham Radio Group Annual Business Meeting

The annual business meeting of the NFB Ham Radio Group will be held at noon
on Thursday, July 6.

The Human Services Division
by Melissa Riccobono

Are you a student majoring in psychology, social work, music therapy, dance
therapy, addiction counseling, or a related field? Are you a professional employed
in or seeking employment in one of these fields? If so, please join the National
Federation of the Blind Human Services Division for our annual seminar and business
meeting at this year’s national convention in Dallas. The Human Services Division
will meet on Monday, July 3. Registration will begin at 1:30 p.m., and the seminar/business
meeting will be held from 2:00 to 5:00 p.m.

The Human Services Division
was formed in order to allow blind psychologists, social workers, counselors,
other human service workers, and those interested in human service fields to
network, ask questions, and share techniques with one another. We will discuss
techniques blind human service workers use in order to get the job done.

Please join us for this
informative seminar. Dues are $5. If you have any questions, please contact
Melissa Riccobono, president, National Federation of the Blind Human Services
Division, by phone at (410) 235-3073, or by email at <[email protected]>.

The Louisiana Center
for the Blind Players
by Jerry Whittle

The Louisiana Center for the Blind Players presents One Woman's Treasure,
an original play by Jerry Whittle. This romantic comedy takes place in Pennsylvania
over a Christmas vacation. Genie Edwards must sell her family home and possessions,
and the entire family works together to get the job done although most of them
disagree with her about which possessions to keep. Many colorful characters
come and go during their whirlwind vacation in the frozen North. All proceeds
from the sale of tickets go to the summer training programs for blind children
at the Louisiana Center for the Blind. Admission is $5. Two performances will
take place Monday evening, July 3.

Meet the Blind Month Activities and Other Special Events Seminar:
Plans and Action Equal Success
by Jerry Lazarus

Every October is Meet the Blind Month. Find out about entertaining and fun-filled
events that can occur throughout October so that sighted people can meet their
blind neighbors. Our seminar (3:30 to 5:00 p.m., Wednesday, July 5) will include
encouragement for chapters to try new types of fundraising and meet-and-greet
events.

We will discuss what has
worked well in the past, and have a time for questions. Conducted by Jerry Lazarus,
NFB director of special projects

National Association of the Blind in Communities of Faith
by Tom Anderson

The National Association of the Blind in Communities of Faith will hold its
annual meeting on Monday, July 3. Registration will begin at 12:30 p.m., and
the meeting will be called to order at 1:00 p.m. The theme of this year's meeting
will be "Overcoming Challenges." A panel of Federationists will describe
the challenges they face in achieving their goals in places of worship, and
what they have done to overcome these challenges. We also plan to have an update
on the publication of the book entitled Experiencing God, hear from
publishers in the field of producing faith-based literature for the blind, and
have a brief presidential report. A brief board meeting may be held following
adjournment.

The National Association
of the Blind in Communities of Faith will again coordinate the devotional services
that will take place from Tuesday, July 4, through Friday, July 7. The theme
of the devotional services will be "The Surrendered Life." Devotions
will be held an hour before the morning session. Please contact me if you would
like to preach or sing at these devotional services. My home address is 5628
South Fox Circle, Apartment A, Littleton, Colorado 80120. My home phone is (303)
794-5006. My work address is 2233 West Shepperd Avenue, Littleton, Colorado
80120, and my work phone is (303) 778-1130, ext. 220. My email address is <[email protected]>.

National Association of Blind Entrepreneurs
by James R. Bonerbo, CPA

The National Association of Blind Entrepreneurs announces its annual seminar,
which will be held on Saturday, July 1. The meeting will start at 2:00 p.m.
with registration and introductions of the participants. Topics covered will
include forms of business, types of organizations, accounting policies, tax
problems, and other matters relevant to the successful operation of a business.

We welcome all first-timers
and veteran entrepreneurs because sharing ideas and experiences will help us
all. See you in Dallas.

National Association of Blind Lawyers
by Scott LaBarre

Each year the National Association of Blind Lawyers (NABL) conducts its annual
meeting at the convention of the National Federation of the Blind, and this
year is no different. We will meet on July 3 at the Hilton Anatole from 1:00
to 5:00 p.m., exact room to be announced. The purpose of our annual meeting
and seminar is multifaceted.

We will examine emerging
trends in the law that affect blind people and others with disabilities. For
example, we will address the ongoing struggle to gain equal access to legal
texts and access to a level playing field for legal examinations like the LSAT
and bar exams. Other discrimination and civil rights cases will be reviewed.
We will discuss how to practice law most effectively as a blind or visually
impaired legal professional, focusing this year on the most effective technology
for blind lawyers. We will address the issue of how to use readers most efficiently
in light of the increasing access to printed materials made possible by assistive
technology.

The EEOC will tell us how
to practice most effectively in front of the Commission. Undoubtedly we will
hear from the American Bar Association as well as local law schools and bar
associations about their outreach efforts to blind and visually impaired students
and legal professionals. Because our agenda covers substantive areas of the
law and addresses the practice of law itself, many of our members have applied
for and received continuing legal education credits for our seminar.

At the conclusion of the
seminar we will hold a reception for NABL members and seminar participants to
promote networking and fellowship within our membership. If you are a lawyer,
legal professional, or law student or are otherwise interested in law, the NABL
meeting in Dallas on July 3 is the place to be.

Mock Trial
by Scott LaBarre

The National Association of Blind Lawyers will sponsor its ninth annual mock
trial at the 2006 NFB convention. This trial will reenact an old Federation
case. Federation lawyers will be pitted against each other arguing the merits
of the two positions.

Although the matter has
not been firmly decided, we will very likely revisit an employment discrimination
case in which an employer refused to allow a blind person to work because of
the employer’s concern that the job was just too dangerous for the blind. See
your favorite Federation lawyers strut their legal stuff. Stay tuned to the
Presidential Release and email lists to hear more details about the case as
the convention draws closer.

You, the audience, will
serve as the jury. This year's trial promises to be just as entertaining and
thought-provoking as past trials. A charge of $5 per person will benefit the
National Association of Blind Lawyers. The trial will take place on Sunday afternoon,
July 2, at 4:30 p.m., somewhere in the Hilton Anatole. Consult the convention
agenda for the exact place.

National Association of Blind Merchants
by Kevan Worley

The National Association of Blind Merchants would like to thank our loyal snack
pack customers over the past nine years. The snack pack has not only been a
lot of fun and a great fundraiser for our division, but has also helped many
conventioneers on tight budgets to snack pretty well. This year our plan is
to sell our ever popular snack pack again. Only $5 will get you a grab bag of
snacks, salty and sweet. So come to our table in the exhibit hall, enjoy a small
cool drink, buy a raffle ticket for a chance to win $1,000, and prepare to be
surprised and delighted by our latest entrepreneurial venture. I’m sure we will
have something new to sell you. We are Federation merchants.

The annual meeting of the
National Association of Blind Merchants will take place Monday afternoon, July
3, at 1:30 p.m. Check the convention agenda for location. This year registration
for our division meeting will begin approximately thirty minutes after adjournment
of the board of directors meeting. If you are involved in the Randolph-Sheppard
program or operate a similar business, you won’t want to miss this merchants’
meeting. On Wednesday, July 5, from 7:00 until 8:30 p.m., we invite you to our
sixth annual Randolph-Sheppard reception. Socialize, network, and learn more
about Randolph-Sheppard opportunities. Check the convention agenda for location.

National Association of Blind Office Professionals
by Lisa Hall

The National Association of Blind Office Professionals will meet, with registration
beginning on Saturday, July 1, at 6:30 p.m. and the meeting beginning at 7:00
p.m. Please check your convention agenda for meeting room and location or check
the Web site at <www.nfb.org> before you arrive for the convention.

Who should attend? Those
holding office positions such as Braille transcribers; Braille proofreaders;
secretaries; telephone operators; computer instructors in a rehab, educational,
or other facility; customer service representatives; medical transcribers; and
many others.
As I write this notice, we have recently lost a true Federationist who was part
of the NFB since 1964. Carol Clark was a former president of this division when
it was called the National Association of Blind Secretaries and Transcribers.
I don't know when she organized this division, however, we believe it may have
been as early as the 1970's. A celebration of Carol Clark’s life and contributions
will occur at our meeting.

As I write this notice,
we are developing an agenda. I have been a leader of this division since 1996.
I was vice president of the National Association of Blind Office Professionals
from 1989 to 1996. I have always worked to keep this organization vital, provided
educational opportunities at our general meetings by developing resources to
use to enhance job skills in the office professions, changed the name of our
organization to reflect the wide variety of office positions held by blind people,
and provided opportunities for blind people to network with one another and
others.

This is an election year,
which means that we will elect officers. Please think about who you would like
to lead our organization for the future. The current officers are Lisa Hall,
president, San Antonio, Texas; Lois Montgomery, vice president, Moline, Illinois;
Sherri Brun, secretary, Orlando, Florida; and Debbie Brown, treasurer, Rockville,
Maryland. It is very important to consider where our organization should go
in the future.

The National Association
of Blind Office Professionals page is located at <http://www.zeli.net/nabop.html>.

I look forward to seeing
everyone in Dallas, Texas, on July 1.

National Association of Blind Piano Technicians
by Don Mitchell

The National Association of Blind Piano Technicians invites you to attend a
special seminar held at the convention of the National Federation of the Blind.
This meeting will present information on financially fulfilling careers in piano
tuning, servicing, repairing, and rebuilding pianos. We will meet at 3:00 p.m.
on Monday, July 3, at the NFB convention. Consult your convention agenda for
room location. The annual business meeting will take place at that time. If
you are unable to attend and wish to support our activities, please send your
dues to our division treasurer, Connie Ryan, 56 N. Extension Road, Apartment
107, Mesa, Arizona 85201. Annual dues are $10. We look foreword to seeing you
in Dallas.

National Association to Promote the Use of Braille
by Nadine Jacobson

Can you believe that it is already time to think about the 2006 meeting of the
National Association to Promote the Use of Braille (NAPUB)? Once again we will
have an interesting agenda, packed full of information about securing literacy
for blind children and adults. Please join us in Dallas at the convention of
the National Federation of the Blind on July 3 at 7:00 p.m. As usual, consult
your convention agenda for the exact location.

Once again we will be moved
by the efforts undertaken by our Braille Readers are Leaders contest winners.
Those kids are an inspiration to all of us. The Louis Braille Memorial Coin
to be minted in 2009 will also be a topic for discussion. We need to begin thinking
of how we can use this coin and Braille’s 200th birthday to promote literacy.
As of this writing, the bill creating this coin has already passed the House
of Representatives, and I trust that we will be able to celebrate its becoming
a certainty by the time we meet. There will be other developments to review
during the past year that affect how we read, write, and learn Braille.

We will have our now traditional
Braille children's book flea market conducted jointly by NAPUB and the National
Organization of Parents of Blind Children. Please bring any gently used Braille
children's books that can be used by other children. Consult the Miniatures
section for directions about how to mail such books as well.

If you have agenda items
or questions, contact me by email or by phone. My email address is <[email protected]>,
or call me at (952) 927-7694. I am looking forward to seeing everyone in Dallas.

National Association of Blind Rehabilitation Professionals
by Carlos Serván

The National Association of Blind Rehabilitation Professionals (NABRP) will
meet July 3 for our annual seminar and business meeting. Registration will begin
at 1:00 p.m., and the seminar and business meeting will be held from 2:00 to
5:00. The NABRP meeting is an opportunity for all rehabilitation professionals
in the blindness field to get together, network, share mutual interests, find
placement strategies, examine concerns about the rehabilitation profession,
and generally shape quality services for the blind in the nation.

If you are involved in
rehabilitation for the blind, you don't want to miss this meeting. We promise
to have nationally recognized leaders in the rehabilitation field to help us
examine and discuss current issues in rehab. If you have any questions about
this meeting, feel free to contact Carlos Serván at (402) 327-0414, or
send an email to <[email protected]>.

National Association of Blind Students
by Ryan Strunk

The National Association of Blind Students will conduct its annual meeting on
Sunday, July 2, from 7:00 to 10:00 p.m. at the NFB convention. Registration
with a fee of $5 will begin at 6:00 p.m. We will also be hosting Monte Carlo
Night on Wednesday, July 5, from 8:00 p.m. until midnight. Monte Carlo Night
is a fundraiser for the student division, and this year it will be bigger and
better than ever. Come support the students and have fun at the same time. For
more information contact Ryan Strunk, president, (402) 730-4092, or email <[email protected]>.

National Association of Guide Dog Users
by Priscilla Ferris

The National Association of Guide Dog Users (NAGDU) will be holding its meetings
at our national convention as follows: Saturday evening, July 1, from 7:00 to
10:00, business meeting. Please remember that this is an election year. Monday
evening, July 3, from 7:00 to 10:00 p.m., we will address the topic; making
an informed decision. We will have guests from many of the guide dog schools
and other interesting speakers.

NFB in Computer Science
by Curtis Chong

The 2006 meeting of the National Federation of the Blind in Computer Science
will take place on Monday, July 3, from 1:00 to 5:00 p.m. With the imminent
release of a new version of Windows (now known as Vista), we plan to have a
representative from Microsoft's Accessible Technologies Team on hand to speak
to our members about the work that Microsoft has done to ensure continued accessibility
to this operating system and the applications that run under it. We will be
discussing the efforts by the State of Massachusetts to convert its data to
the OASIS Open Document format—a format that is currently not accessible to
the blind. If things go as planned, we will also be talking about Google and
the things that it is doing that have the potential effect of shutting out the
blind from some of its services.

This being an even-numbered
year, we will hold an election of officers and board members. We will also find
opportunities for computer professionals and others to network with each other
to address problems of nonvisual access to technology and technology-based services.

The NFB in Judaism group will gather Sunday evening, July 2, from 7:30 to 9:00
p.m. Consult the convention agenda for the location.

NFB LINK
by Rosy Carranza

Thanks to all who have signed up to serve as NFB LINK mentors. Throughout our
national convention you will have the opportunity to attend one of several training
sessions to help you be better prepared to serve as a mentor. The sessions will
be informative, fast-paced, and fun. Stay tuned to the Monitor for
additional information.

National Organization of Blind Educators
by Sheila Koenig

On Monday, July 3, the National Organization of Blind Educators (NOBE) will
conduct its annual meeting from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. Registration begins at 1:00
p.m. NOBE is a network of blind teachers and those interested in careers in
education. Our meeting will offer an opportunity to meet blind people teaching
at various grade levels and in different content areas.

Many questions arise as
people contemplate and realize their dreams of teaching: how will potential
employers react to a blind applicant? How does a blind person manage students
in a classroom? How does one accomplish the daily duties as well as the "other
duties as assigned" for which teachers are contracted? During our seminar
at the 2006 convention in Dallas, successful blind teachers will discuss such
questions. Seminar participants will also meet in small groups specific to grade
level and content areas of interest. In this way we can create a network of
mentors extending beyond our meeting. If you teach or are considering a career
in teaching at any level, plan to join us.

National Organization of the Senior Blind
by Judy Sanders

It is hard to believe that we are already planning for another convention. But
we are, and the National Organization of the Senior Blind (NOSB) is ready for
action. This year we will have our usual variety of speakers who will demonstrate
how active seniors can be between conventions. Our theme is "Life continues
after blindness." So we want to hear from seniors who are newly blind and
how they are dealing with it and the role the Federation plays in their lives.
Pat Healy from New Jersey is just such a person. And I know there are many others.
Anyone wishing to suggest someone for this part of our agenda should let me
know.

We will, of course, have
our not-so-silent auction to raise those much needed funds for NOSB. We will
be pleased to accept donated items, and we encourage you to come bid as high
as you can. To facilitate the bidding, we want to produce a list of items to
be circulated before the auction. Anyone wishing to donate an item and have
it appear on our list should notify me by June 15. Use the email or phone number
that appears at the end of this announcement. You will never attend another
auction like this one.

We are electing a president,
vice president, secretary, and treasurer. All those who pay their five dollars
dues are eligible to vote. The business part of our meeting will begin at 7:00
and end no later than 10:00 p.m. However, be sure and come early to view the
auction items and make your initial bids. For more information about NOSB, our
meeting, or the convention, please contact Judy Sanders at <[email protected]>,
or call me at (612) 375-1625.

Performing Arts Division
by Adrienne Snow

The Performing Arts Division
is dedicated to the support of performers: singers, actors, instrumentalists,
magicians, etc. We will be meeting at the convention in Dallas on July 3 from
1:00 to 4:00 p.m. Please check your agenda for the room assignment. At this
meeting we will conduct general elections; all seats are open this year. We
will also have speeches and presentations from two actors and a singer who are
donating their time to help our division. All who are interested are welcome
to attend.

The performing Arts Division
will be conducting the Showcase of Talent this year, which will take place Tuesday
evening, July 4. Those interested in performing must contact Adrienne Snow no
later than the close of the opening general session of the convention. There
is no charge for performing, but the usual rules about providing your own accompanist
and not singing along with the voice track of recordings still apply. If you
have questions, feel free to contact Adrienne Snow at the convention or at <[email protected]>.

Planned Giving
Seminar
by Israel Menchero

Wednesday, July 5, from 1:30 to 3:00 p.m., join us to learn more about charitable
estate planning and gift strategies. This seminar will provide information on
various planned-giving opportunities, legal implications, and impact on personal
taxes. Participants will receive information on the different types of income-generating
gifts available with the NFB, the legal language to be used in bequests, planning
the timing of gifts, and points to consider before making a gift. Information
will also be presented on the difference between a charitable gift annuity and
a charitable remainder trust, will preparation, and gifts of life insurance.

Public Employees Division
by Ivan Weich

The Public Employees Division will meet Monday afternoon, July 3. No special
agenda items to report yet. Ivan Weich’s new address for mail is 4301 Clogston
Avenue NE, Bremerton, Washington 98310.

Rehabilitation
Conference
by Christine Brown

The National Association of Blind Rehabilitation Professionals, the National
Blindness Professional Certification Board, and the Professional Development
and Research Institute on Blindness are proud to announce that the fifth annual
rehabilitation conference will be held in Dallas, Texas, at the annual convention
of the National Federation of the Blind. The conference will be held on Saturday,
July 1, from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and will include a rich agenda of key leaders
and professionals working in the fields of rehabilitation and orientation and
mobility. Please consult your agenda for room location.

Registration for the conference
will begin at 8:00 a.m. The registration fee will be $50 for professionals working
in the field and $25 for students or job seekers. The conference will be of
particular interest to those currently working in the field of rehabilitation
for the blind, students in professional preparation programs, those interested
in travel training as a career, and those with general interest in rehabilitation
for the blind. For more information about the conference contact Christine Brown
at (318) 257-2029; email <[email protected]>.

Roman Catholic Mass
by Mary Ellen Jernigan

Father Gregory Paul, C.P., will be with us at this year’s convention and will
celebrate Mass on Sunday morning, July 2, at 6:30. The room assignment will
be listed in the agenda.

Social Security Seminar
by James McCarthy and Teresa Uttermohlen

An outreach seminar, "Social Security and Supplemental Security Income:
What Applicants, Advocates, and Recipients Should Know," will take place
Wednesday afternoon, July 6. The purpose of this seminar, conducted by the National
Federation of the Blind with the assistance of the Social Security Administration,
is to share information on Social Security and Supplemental Security Income
benefits for the blind. This includes the income subsidy program for those receiving
the new Medicare prescription drug benefit.

Seminar presenters will
be Jim McCarthy, director of governmental affairs for the National Federation
of the Blind, and his wife Terri Uttermohlen, first vice president of the Greater
Baltimore Chapter of the NFB and a training and technical assistance liaison
employed by Virginia Commonwealth University to provide training and technical
assistance to work incentives specialists throughout the nation. Social Security
representatives will be available to offer helpful publications about their
programs and share valuable tips about communicating with the Social Security
Administration.

Sports and Recreation Division
by Lisamaria Martinez

Have you ever wondered if a blind person could play football or basketball?
Have you ever heard of goalball? Have you ever had questions concerning blind
people and rock climbing, dancing, rafting, or even something as simple as going
to the gym? Well, come one, come all! The Sports and Recreation Division of
the National Federation of the Blind invites any person interested in sports
or recreation to attend our first-ever meeting. The meeting will be held on
Monday, July 3, between 1:30 and 5:00 p.m. Registration will be $5 and will
begin at 1:00 p.m. This meeting will be not only informative but interactive.
For more information contact Lisamaria Martinez, president, at <[email protected]>;
or at (510) 289-2577.

Attention Veterans
by Dwight Sayer

Please join us in celebrating the Fourth of July in Dallas, Texas. The National
Federation of the Blind will be honoring veterans at the beginning of the national
convention on the Fourth of July. We encourage all veterans to let us know if
you are going to attend this year’s convention. It will be much easier to prepare
for the celebration if we know approximately how many veterans will be attending.
For more information contact Dwight D. Sayer, U.S. Air Force, first vice president,
NFB of Florida; (407) 877-1970; <[email protected]>.

Writers Division
by Tom Stevens

During preconvention activities on Saturday afternoon from 1:30 to 3:30 the
Writers Division will conduct an open-mike poetry and short fiction reading
session. We encourage interested Federationists to bring original writing to
recite or read to an attentive audience. There is no charge.

On Monday afternoon the
Writers Division will conduct its annual information and business meeting from
1:30 until 4:00. Everyone is welcome to a session where we will discuss writing
of various types and conduct a small amount of business. Our primary purpose
is to encourage you to write and run editors ragged with your submissions. Come
one, come all.

The Equation for
Success 2006 Seminar for Parents and Teachers

by Barbara Cheadle

From the Editor:
One of the most exciting elements of national conventions each year has come
to be the programs and activities sponsored by the National Organization of
Parents of Blind Children (NOPBC). Barbara Cheadle is the NOPBC president and
editor of Future Reflections, the division’s quarterly magazine for
parents and teachers of blind children. Just reading about division convention
plans for families with blind youngsters is exciting. Everyone with a need to
learn more about helping blind children to grow up well-adjusted, competent,
and independent should make plans to be in Dallas the first week of July at
the NFB convention. Read on to learn the details of the NOPBC activities.

Several years ago actors
Matt Damon and Ben Affleck hit it big with a movie called Good Will Hunting.
Among the early scenes in the movie is a young man in janitor’s garb (Will,
played by Damon), working out a long and complex math equation on a blackboard
in a deserted college classroom late at night. It turns out that this rough,
uneducated young man from a blue-collar, working-class neighborhood is a mathematical
genius. However, the discovery of his talent does not lead immediately to success.
Like the formulas he worked out late at night, the equation for his success
is not a simple “two-plus-two-equals-four.” Emotional scars from an abusive
childhood, the fear of losing old friends, and habits of carousing, drinking,
and fighting are factors that have to be balanced by the introduction of new
factors—new relationships, intellectual challenges, emotional healing, and self-confidence—in
order for him to take the first step toward fulfilling his natural potential.

The equation for success
for a blind child also has complexities. It is not as simple as learning Braille
or being surrounded by positive, loving parents and teachers. Skills and attitudes
are crucial factors, no doubt, but other elements must be factored in, and some
elements must be subtracted.

Fortunately, those of us
parents who are math-impaired don’t have to solve this problem by ourselves.
Over 2,500 experts—blind members of the National Federation of the Blind—will
gather in Dallas, Texas, in July for the express purpose of working out formulas
for success for all blind people. The event is the NFB national convention,
and the problem-solving begins on Saturday, July 1, 2006, with the Equation
for Success seminar.

Sponsored by the National
Organization of Parents of Blind Children (NOPBC), this day-long event begins
with a kid-friendly general session in the morning, and in the afternoon offers
break-out workshops for adults and special, fun-filled activities for blind
children and sighted siblings. The day will end with an informal, everyone-is-welcome
family hospitality, and two no-parents-allowed teen talks (one for boys, and
one for girls). And that is only the beginning. During the next four days NOPBC
will sponsor over a dozen other special programs for family members and teachers.

This year the theme is
more than a metaphor. We will actually be conducting math workshops for parents
and special math-related activities for children and youth. Rumors have it,
for example, that the NFB Jernigan Institute’s National Center for Blind Youth
in Science (NCBYS) will sponsor a special chemistry program for the teens on
July 1. And we have other prominent partners.

MATHCOUNTS® <www.mathcounts.org>
(which is the math equivalent of the national spelling bee competition) is collaborating
with NOPBC to conduct a mock kids-versus-adults math competition to be followed
by a lively and informative Math Now! forum on Sunday, July 2. The director,
Larry Jacobson, and deputy director, Kristen Chandler, are planning to join
us in Dallas for these events as a kick-off for promoting participation by blind
students in MATHCOUNTS competitions nationwide.

We are also pleased to
announce that the Texas School for the Blind, widely known for its publications
division and extensive Web site resources, will partner with the NOPBC to provide
exciting programming in Active Learning, the educational approach pioneered
by Dr. Lilli Nielsen for blind kids with severe multiple disabilities. We also
look forward to collaborating with the school on other program items, as well
as welcoming teachers and students from the school as participants and guests
to the convention.

In addition to the new
offerings, the always popular, much anticipated standards are on the 2006 program:
the Cane Walk, Braille Carnival, IEP workshops, teen drop-in-and-get-acquainted
party, teen hospitality room, Braille book flea market, Parent Power Workshop,
and the NOPBC annual meeting. Maria Garcia, paramedic and president of the New
York Parents of Blind Children division, is also hoping to offer some programs
in emergency preparedness for children and families. The programs she organized
last year in Louisville were a big hit, and we have had many requests to repeat
them.

The 2006 speakers will
include dynamic favorites who always stimulate, inform, and encourage: Joe Cutter
(early years O&M), Ann Cunningham (tactile art education), Heather Field
(language development, toys), Dr. Marc Maurer, president of the NFB (kid-talk),
Melissa Riccobono (Braille Carnival buddies), the staff and students from the
Louisiana Center and Louisiana Tech O&M master’s program (Cane Walk), and
many others. We will also be welcoming students from the Indiana School for
the Blind again this year. The last two years they came as members of the COGS
Club; this year they return as Leo Club members.

Among the speakers new
to us in 2006 is Eric Vasiliauskas, M.D., a pediatrician who has two blind sons.
An active NOPBC member from California, Dr. Vasiliauskas has already gained
a reputation for his lively and informative presentations. We will also hear
from another doctor and medical researcher, Alfred J. Lewy, M.D., Ph.D., who
is conducting studies about melatonin and sleep cycles in children. And we will
hear, of course, from the 2006 Distinguished Educator of Blind Children Award
winner.

There is no experience
like the NFB national convention. The NOPBC activities for parents, as exciting
and as helpful as we hope you will find them, are only a small part of this
phenomenal, one-of-a-kind event. If you will go back and read the equation following
the title, you will find this element: role models. The convention has 2,500
potential role models for your child and your family. Most will be role models
to emulate with pride, others will be reverse models: examples of what not to
become. Why? Because the Federation is a membership organization, a cross-section
of society—old, young, smart, dumb-as-dirt, cranky, pleasant, naïve, sophisticated,
educated, uneducated, skilled, unskilled, clumsy, graceful. Blind people really
are just like everybody else, and the convention highlights that fact in a way
that no amount of rhetoric can convey.

So make your plans and
join us in Dallas. You don’t have to be good in math to learn this equation.

NOPBC Schedule
of Events

Day 1: Saturday,
July 1

Childcare: The NFB offers
childcare (NFB Camp) all day Saturday, July 1, and during other convention sessions
throughout the week for infants and children ages six weeks through ten years
of age. NFB Camp preregistration packets are available from NFB Camp director
Carla McQuillan, NFB of Oregon, 5005 Main Street, Springfield, Oregon 97478;
(541) 726-6924. Preregistration for NFB Camp is required.

Fees: $35 for two adults plus children. $15 for one adult (no children). $25
for one adult plus children. The fee helps cover the cost of workshop materials,
the packets and handouts from all NOPBC sessions, AV equipment for our speakers,
the cost of our teen hospitality room, and other expenses incurred by the NOPBC
at the convention.

10:00 - 12:30 p.m. Cane
Walk: Session II
The Cane Walk is for blind kids, their family members, and teachers. It is conducted
in collaboration with Joe Cutter, the Institute on Blindness at Louisiana Tech
University, and the Louisiana Center for the Blind.

Morning (time to be announced) MATHCOUNTS® “Kids versus Adults”

This is a closed competition.
Competitors must register in advance. Please send an email to Curtis Chong at
<[email protected]> if you are interested in competing. Kids must
be in middle school, and adults must be high school graduates. The competition
and the Math Now! forum (see below) are both conducted in collaboration with
MATHCOUNTS® and the NFB Jernigan Institute.

2:00 - 4:00 p.m. Math Now!
Everyone welcome! Results and prizes for the MATHCOUNTS® competitors; a
live oral math round with the top kid and adult winners; information about new
technologies, software, and math manipulatives; displays.

2:00 - 5:00 p.m. An Introduction to Active Learning. A seminar and hands-on
demonstration about implementing active learning for blind children with severe
multiple disabilities.

1:00 - 5:00 p.m. Teen get-acquainted, drop-in-anytime party, co-sponsored by
Blind Industries and Services of Maryland (BISM).
Time to be announced Just for Dads

NFB Camp: It’s More Than Child’s
Play

by Carla McQuillan

During convention week
children six weeks through ten years of age are invited to join in the fun and
festivities of NFB Camp. NFB Camp offers more than just childcare; it is an
opportunity for our blind and sighted children to meet and develop lifelong
friendships. Our activity schedule is filled with games, crafts, and special
performances designed to entertain, educate, and delight. If you are interested
in this year’s program, please complete and return the registration form provided
at the end of this notice. Preregistration with payment on or before June 15
is mandatory for participation in NFB Camp. Space is limited.

About the Staff:
NFB Camp is organized and supervised by Carla McQuillan, the executive
director of Main Street Montessori Association, operating three schools, parent
education courses, and a teacher-training program. Carla is the mother of two
children, president of the National Federation of the Blind of Oregon, and a
member of the board of directors of the National Federation of the Blind.

Alison McQuillan, camp
worker and teacher since 1998, will be our activities director again this year.
Over the years we have recruited professional childcare workers from the local
community to staff NFB Camp. Recently we have determined that recruiting from
our Federation families brings in workers with healthy philosophies and attitudes
about our blind children. Carla and Alison will be supervising camp workers
and all related activities.

Activities and
Special Events: The children are divided into groups according to age:
infants and toddlers, preschoolers, and school-aged children. Each room is equipped
with a variety of age-appropriate toys, games, and books, and we will have daily
art projects. Local firefighters will be bringing a fire engine to the hotel
for the children to tour. The hotel also has an outdoor track and croquet field
for the children to enjoy. In addition, school-aged children will have the opportunity
to sign up for half-day trips to area attractions. Some of the planned events
include a trip to the aquarium, firefighter museum, and other local highlights.
Dates, times, additional fees, and sign-up sheets for field trips will be available
at NFB Camp. Space for special events is limited to enrolled NFB Campers only,
on a first-come, first-served basis. On the final day of NFB Camp we will conduct
a big toy sale—brand new toys at bargain prices.

General Arrangements:
NFB Camp will be open during general convention sessions, division
and committee meeting day, and the evening of the banquet. Plenty of teens are
always available to babysit during evening and luncheon meetings. A list of
babysitters will be available at the NFB Camp desk. Please use the NFB Camp
registration form. Completed form and fees must be received on or before June
15.

NFB Camp Schedule

Times listed are the opening
and closing times of NFB Camp. Children are not accepted earlier than the times
listed, and a late fee of $10 will be assessed for all late pick-ups. NFB Camp
provides morning and afternoon snacks. You are responsible for providing lunch
for your child(ren) every day.

Include description of
any disabilities/allergies we should know about: ______________________
______________________________________________________________________________
Who, other than parents, is allowed to pick up your child(ren)? ___________________________
______________________________________________________________________________

Per Week: $90 first
child, $65 for each sibling

Number of Children_______
$________________ (Does not include banquet)
Per Day: $20 per child Number of Days_________ x $20 $_________
Banquet: $15 per child Number of Children_______ x $15 $_________
Total Due $_________

Make checks payable to
NFB Camp. Return form to National Federation of the Blind of Oregon, 5005 Main
Street, Springfield, Oregon 97478. Phone (541) 726-6924

From the Editor:
Curtis Willoughby is a member of the NFB's Research and Development Committee
and head of our Ham Radio Interest Group.

Again this year at national convention we will offer special arrangements for
severely hearing-impaired people attending convention sessions and the banquet.
This will consist of transmission of the public address system signal over a
special short-range radio transmitter for the severely hearing-impaired. Also
Spanish-language translation of convention proceedings in general sessions and
the banquet will be provided using a similar arrangement. The special receivers
required for these services will also be provided.

In cooperation with several
state affiliates (notably Colorado, Louisiana, Ohio, Utah, and Virginia), the
NFB will provide receivers for these special transmissions to those needing
them. The receiver-lending, managed by the Ham Radio Group, will be operated
from a table just outside the meeting room. A deposit of $25, cash only, will
be required of anyone wishing to check out one of the Federation's receivers.
The deposit will be returned if the receiver is checked in at the checkout table
in good condition by adjournment or within thirty minutes after adjournment
of the last convention session. Batteries for the receiver will be provided.
Anyone checking out a Federation receiver will be given upon request a miniature
earbud-type earphone to use with the receiver.

Along with explaining what
will be available, it is important that we explain what will not be available.
The miniature earbud loudspeaker-type earphone will be the only kind of earphone
offered. The receiver requires a 3.5 mm (formerly called 1/8 inch) earphone
plug, in case you want to use your own earphone(s), neck loop, adapter cable,
etc. You are advised to arrange for such things well ahead of arriving at the
convention. Other than the earphone jack on the receiver, no means of connection
to a hearing aid will be available from the checkout table. The receiver does
not have a built-in loudspeaker. While earphones and even neck loops are sometimes
available in the exhibit room, you cannot be certain of getting one there.

Many severely hearing-impaired
people already use radio systems that employ FM radio signals to carry the voice
from a transmitter held by the person speaking to a receiver in the hearing
aid. Many such hearing aid systems can be tuned to receive the Federation's
special transmitters. In this case the hearing-impaired person may simply tune
his or her own receiver to receive the Federation's transmitter and will not
need to check out a Federation receiver.

Some audiologists and rehabilitation
agencies are now buying digital and other FM hearing aids that cannot be tuned
to the Federation's frequency. If you have one of these or if you have any other
type of hearing aid, you should obtain from your audiologist an adapter cable
to connect from your hearing aid to a monaural 3.5 mm (formerly called 1/8 inch)
earphone jack. This will allow you to plug the cable from your hearing aid directly
into a receiver you check out from our table. This will allow you to hear as
well as anyone else using one of our receivers.

The transmitter for the
hearing-impaired will be connected to the public address system so that the
signals from the head table and the aisle microphones will be transmitted on
channel 36 (74.775 MHz narrow band FM). People must not operate their personal
transmitters on channel 36 or on channel 38 because that would interfere with
the reception by others. This means that folks wishing to use their own receivers
(rather than checking out one of the Federation's receivers) need to have their
personal receivers arranged so that they can switch between their personal channels
and channel 36. Some people may need to purchase replacement or additional receivers.
Caution your audiologist that there is more than one channel 36 and that he
or she must also verify that the frequency matches our frequency.

This announcement is printed
now to allow as much time as possible for those interested to make the necessary
arrangements before convention. It contains this amount of detail so that any
audiologist who works with this type of equipment should be able to know by
reading this article exactly what capabilities a person's FM hearing system
must have to work with the Federation's system at convention. Even if you do
not use an FM hearing aid, you may be able to purchase a neck loop or an adapter
cable to couple the signal from a Federation receiver directly to your hearing
aid. Your audiologist should also be able to help you with this.

The service for Spanish
speakers will be similar, except that a live Spanish translator will speak over
a separate transmitter on channel 38 (75.275 MHz narrow band FM). We do not
expect people to bring their own receivers for the Spanish language translation
service unless they are also hearing-impaired and use an FM hearing aid system.
Norm Gardner from Utah will be coordinating the Spanish language interpreters,
and he would appreciate hearing from anyone willing to volunteer to interpret.
Please call him prior to convention at (801) 224-6969 or send him an email message
at <[email protected]>.

Finally, if other state
affiliates or chapters are interested in purchasing this type of equipment for
use in state and local meetings, they are encouraged to purchase equipment that
is compatible with what we are using and to allow it to be used in the pool
of equipment that the Ham Radio Group administers at national convention. I,
Curtis Willoughby, would like to help you choose equipment that is compatible
with what the NFB is using. I may also be able to help you get the good prices
the NFB has been getting. You may contact me at (303) 424-7373 or <[email protected]>.

The Federation is pleased
to offer these services to our severely hearing-impaired colleagues and to our
Spanish-speaking colleagues, and we hope and believe that it will again significantly
improve their convention experience.

Dialysis at National Convention

by Ed Bryant

During this year's annual
convention of the National Federation of the Blind, Saturday, July 1, through
Friday, July 7, dialysis will be available. Individuals requiring dialysis must
have a transient patient packet and physician's statement filled out prior to
treatment.

Conventioneers must have
their unit social worker contact the desired location in the Dallas area for
instructions well in advance. The convention will take place at the Hilton Anatole
Hotel, 2201 Stemmons Freeway, Dallas, Texas 75207.

Individuals will be responsible
for, and must pay out of pocket, prior to each treatment, the approximately
$30 not covered by Medicare, plus any additional physician's fees, and any charges
for other medications.

Dialysis centers should
set up transient dialysis locations at least six to eight weeks in advance.
This helps assure a location for anyone wanting to dialyze. Places fill up quickly.

There are many centers
in the Dallas area, but the area is quite large, and early reservation is strongly
recommended—to guarantee a place and spare you a long taxi or bus ride. Here
are some dialysis locations:

Please remember to schedule dialysis treatments early to ensure space. See you
in Dallas.

Attention National Convention Exhibitors

by Jerry Lazarus

From the Editor:
Jerry Lazarus is the director of special projects at the NFB Jernigan Institute.
Convention exhibitors interested in the increased visibility and opportunities
to contact potential customers that becoming a convention sponsor will provide
should read the following article carefully. This is what he says:

By now most of our previous exhibitors have received the national convention
exhibitor packet, including the invitation letter, exhibitor application, fact
sheet, guidelines, sponsorship opportunities, sponsor signup form, and preconvention
registration forms for the 2006 convention at the Hilton Anatole Hotel in Dallas,
Texas.

We would like to call your
attention to the sponsorship opportunities available. The amount of visibility
and recognition an exhibitor can receive by becoming a sponsor at the 2006 NFB
convention will make the investment truly worthwhile.

The following are some
highlights and associated benefits of participating as a sponsor. The top-level
sponsor will be known as the Title Sponsor. The sponsors that choose to involve
themselves at this level will have an unparalleled opportunity to address the
entire National Federation of the Blind assembly during the opening general
session. What better way to get your message across than to have the attention
of all of our attendees? In addition, the Title Sponsor(s) will also select
the featured speaker to address the community partnership breakfast. The first
Title Sponsor to sign up will receive the entire back cover of our national
convention program agenda for advertising. The second Title Sponsor to sign
up will receive the inside back cover. A featured ad will be placed on the National
Federation of the Blind Web site for thirty days, in addition to links direct
to your Web site from the NFB Web-placed ad.

Additional benefits are available for all sponsors. Read on.

The exhibit hall will be open for a special evening dedicated to sponsors of
the convention only. This includes all the categories: Title, Platinum, Gold,
Silver, and Exhibit Hall sponsors. On Tuesday evening, July 4, the exhibit hall
will reopen from 7:00 to 10:00 p.m. for these exhibitors only. (Exhibitors that
have purchased table space only will not be allowed to open during these special
hours.) We encourage you to invite guests into the hall for special offers and
demonstrations. During these hours the amplification system will be available
for sponsors that would like to make announcements about their products or to
offer special deals to those in attendance.

In addition, we invite
you to submit an article to our online publication, Voice of the Nation’s
Blind.

The following breakdown
provides specific details on each of the levels of sponsorship. Please read
through the merits associated with each of the sponsorships and choose the one
that best suits your desired level of recognition.

Title Sponsorship,
$25,000

Twenty complimentary
convention registrations

Opportunity to address
the general session on Tuesday, July 4

Two tables of ten at
the community partnership breakfast, scheduled on Wednesday, July 5

Opportunity to choose
a featured speaker to present at the community partnership breakfast

Two tables of ten and
special recognition at the NFB banquet, Thursday evening, July 6; estimated
attendance at the banquet more than 2,500

Two tables in the exhibit
hall (prominent location)

Signage on four walls
in exhibit hall

Name and logo featured
on stage banner

Use of exhibit hall
(by sponsors only) on Tuesday evening from 7:00 to 10:00 p.m. for their invited
guests, as well as convention attendees. Use of the exhibit hall sound system
for announcements and special promotions will be allowed during this period
only.

Special listing in
convention agenda mentioning the Sponsors and their use of the hall on Tuesday
evening

Premium placement of
full-page ad in the convention agenda. First Title Sponsor receives the back
cover of the agenda. Second Title Sponsor receives the inside back cover of
the agenda.

Featured ad on the National
Federation of the Blind Web site for thirty days

Listing on NFB Web
site under Exhibitors at National Convention, with a direct link to the Title
Sponsor’s Web site

Opportunity to write
an article to be published in the NFB online publication, Voice of the
Nation’s Blind, with appropriate direct links

Platinum Sponsorship,
$15,000

· Fifteen complimentary
convention registrations
· Opportunity to address general session on Tuesday, July 4
· Fifteen places at the community partnership breakfast on Wednesday,
July 5
· Fifteen places and special recognition at the NFB banquet, Thursday
evening, July 6; estimated attendance at the banquet more than 2,500
· Two tables in the exhibit hall (prominent location)
· Signage on two walls in exhibit hall
· Use of exhibit hall (by sponsors only) on Tuesday evening from 7:00
to 10:00 p.m. for their invited guests, as well as convention attendees. Use
of the exhibit hall sound system for announcements and special promotions will
be allowed during this period only.
· Special listing in convention agenda mentioning the sponsors and their
use of the hall on Tuesday evening
· Name and logo featured on stage banner
· One full-page ad in the convention agenda
· Listing on NFB Web site under Exhibitors at National Convention, with
a direct link to the Platinum Sponsor’s Web site
· Opportunity to write an article to be published in the NFB online publication,
Voice of the Nation’s Blind, with appropriate direct links

Gold Sponsorship,
$10,000

Ten complimentary convention
registrations

A table of ten at the
community partnership breakfast on Wednesday, July 5

A table of ten and
recognition at the NFB banquet, Thursday evening, July 6; estimated attendance
at the banquet more than 2,500

One table in the exhibit
hall (prominent location)

Use of exhibit hall
(by sponsors only) on Tuesday evening from 7:00 to 10:00 p.m. Use of the exhibit
hall sound system for announcements and special promotions will be allowed
during this period only.

Special listing in
convention agenda mentioning the sponsors and their use of the hall on Tuesday
evening

Name and logo featured
on stage banners

One full-page ad in
the convention agenda

Listing on NFB Web
site under Exhibitors at National Convention, with a direct link to the Gold
Sponsor’s Web site

Opportunity to write
an article to be published in the NFB online publication, Voice of the
Nation’s Blind, with appropriate direct links

Silver Sponsorship,
$5,000

Five complimentary convention
registrations

A table of ten at the
community partnership breakfast on Wednesday, July 5

A table of ten and
recognition at the NFB banquet, Thursday evening, July 6; estimated attendance
at the banquet more than 2,500

Use of exhibit hall
(by sponsors only) on Tuesday evening from 7:00 to 10:00 p.m. Use of the exhibit
hall sound system for announcements and special promotions will be allowed
during this period only.

Special listing in convention
agenda mentioning the sponsors and their use of the hall on Tuesday evening

One half-page ad in
the convention program

Listing on NFB Web
site under Exhibitors at National Convention

Opportunity to write
an article to be published in the NFB online publication, Voice of the
Nation’s Blind

Exhibit Hall Sponsorship,
$2,500

Five complimentary convention
registrations

Five places at the
community partnership breakfast on Wednesday, July 5

Five places at the
NFB banquet, Thursday evening, July 6; estimated attendance at the banquet
more than 2,500

Use of exhibit hall
(by sponsors only) on Tuesday evening from 7:00 to 10:00 p.m. Use of the exhibit
hall sound system for announcements and special promotions will be allowed
during this period only.

Special listing in convention
agenda mentioning the sponsors and their use of the hall on Tuesday evening

One quarter-page ad
in the convention program

Listing on NFB Web
site under Exhibitors at National Convention

Opportunity to write
an article to be published in the NFB online publication, Voice of the
Nation’s Blind

For more information about
signing up as a sponsor for the convention, review the information that came
in your convention packet, read the documents available on our Web site under
National Convention, or contact Jerry L. Lazarus, director of special projects,
National Federation of the Blind Jernigan Institute, 1800 Johnson Street, Baltimore,
Maryland 21230; (410) 659-9314, extension 2297; email <[email protected]>,
<www.nfb.org>.

Recipes

The recipes this
month are from members of the National Federation of the Blind of Illinois.

Herb Dip

by Patti Gregory-Chang

Patti Gregory-Chang, first vice president of the NFB of Illinois, supervises
other lawyers for the city of Chicago. She uses fresh herbs that she grows in
her garden when making this dip. It is great on any firm cracker.

Method: Soften cream cheese. Mix in garlic. Then mix in all
of the herbs. You can add some sour cream if the dip is too stiff. Sprinkle
paprika on top for color. Chill this dip and then spread on crackers or small
triangles of toast. I have used this at barbeques with success.

Flourless Almond Cake

by Elizabeth Browne

Dr.Elizabeth Browne is a longtime Federationist and has contributed
stories to the Kernel Books and articles to the Braille Monitor. She
is the author of two books and is working on a third. She is a professor in
the seminary at Loyola University of Chicago and a member of the Chicago Chapter
of the NFB of Illinois.

Method: In a large saucepan or pot place six unpeeled clementines
covered by cold water. Cover, bring to boil, and let simmer for two hours. (Start
with enough water so pan does not boil dry.) Drain water, cut clementines in
half, and begin to chop in blender or food processor, removing all seeds before
blending fruit. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Butter and line a nine-inch springform
pan with parchment or wax paper. Beat six eggs. Add sugar, baking powder, and
almonds. Now add chopped clementines to batter, mixing ingredients well by hand
or with a whisk. Pour cake mixture into prepared pan and bake for one hour.
When cake has baked for forty minutes, cover cake with foil and let it finish
baking. Cake is done when skewer inserted in center comes out clean. Let cake
cool completely before removing from the pan. To serve, loosen cake from sides
of pan and invert on a plate before removing pan. Dust top with confectionary
sugar if you like. You can serve this alone or with ice cream or whipped cream.
Variations: if you don’t have enough crushed almonds, you can supplement with
crushed pecans. Also lemons or tangerines may be substituted for clementines
as long as a comparable amount of fruit is used.

Coconut Cranberry
Bars

by Connie Davis

Connie Davis serves as editor of the Braille Examiner, the
NFB of Illinois newsletter.

Method: Combine graham cracker crumbs and butter. Press into
a greased 13-by-9-by-2-inch baking pan. In a bowl combine the remaining ingredients.
Mix well. Gently spread over the crust. Bake at 350 degrees for twenty-five
to twenty-eight minutes or until edges are golden brown. Cool on wire rack.
Cut into bars. Yields three dozen

Method: Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Coat a 9-by-13-inch baking
dish with nonstick cooking spray. In large bowl combine the cake mix, margarine,
1/3 cup evaporated milk, and the pecans, stirring with a spoon until a dough
forms. Press half the dough into the baking dish and bake for six minutes, reserving
the remaining dough. Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, melt the caramels with
the remaining 1/3 cup evaporated milk over medium heat, stirring frequently.
Remove the baking dish from the oven and sprinkle the chocolate chips over the
warm dough. Spread the melted caramel mixture over the chips, then crumble the
remaining dough over the top. Bake for twenty minutes. Let cool, then refrigerate
for at least one hour before cutting. Note: If you prefer, you can use plain
caramels rather than chocolate-covered ones.

Frozen Banana Split
Dessert

by Kelly Doty

Kelly Doty, a sixth-grade teacher, serves as treasurer of the NFB of
Illinois.

Method: Pat 1/4 inch graham cracker or vanilla wafer crumbs
into a 13-by-9-inch pan. Slice bananas over crumb crust. Spread half a gallon
of softened vanilla ice cream over bananas. Place pan in freezer.
To make syrup, melt chocolate chips and margarine together. Add two cups powdered
sugar and 1 and 1/3 cup evaporated milk. Cook for eight minutes, stirring constantly.
Remove from heat and add vanilla. Cool until almost cold. Spread syrup over
ice cream. You may sprinkle nuts or additional wafer crumbs on top. Return to
freezer until dessert is solidly frozen. Remove from freezer a little while
before serving so that it will cut more easily.

Roast Cuban Chicken
by Joe Monti

Joe Monti, now retired, taught high school and college physics and math
for thirty-nine years, most of those as a blind person. He currently serves
on the state board of Illinois and is first vice president of the Chicago Chapter.

Method: Brown chicken in olive oil and garlic. Place in roasting
pan and add all the other ingredients except peas. Cover and bake at 350 degrees
for forty-five minutes. Add the peas and bake fifteen minutes longer.

Monitor Miniatures

News from the Federation
Family

Braille Book Flea
Market:
Donate your gently used but no longer needed Twin Vision® books to the 2006
Braille book flea market, sponsored by the National Organization of Parents
of Blind Children and the National Association to Promote the Use of Braille.
Books should be in good condition. Cookbooks and Twin Vision and other children’s
Braille books are badly needed. We still have many books on other subjects left
from last year. This year all we need are children’s books and cookbooks.

Please send your Braille
books to the flea market using the U.S. mail. They can be sent Free Matter for
the Blind. The address in Texas to which the books should be sent is Braille
Book Flea Market, Attention Mr. Jason Fink, 2925 Merrell Road, Dallas, Texas
75229. If you have questions, contact Peggy Chong at (515) 277-1288 or by email
at <[email protected]>. UPS will again house our books for us in
Dallas before the event and will assist with the Braille book flea market on
the day of the event. We thank them for their continued support.

Elected:
The San Francisco Chapter of the National Federation of the Blind of California
held elections on February 18, 2006. The results were as follows: president,
David Chan; vice president, Jason Holloway; secretary, Lauren Manirre; treasurer,
Lisa Gordon; and board member, Paul Wick.

Recovering:
We have learned that on February 11, 2006, Dr. Abraham Nemeth, inventor of the
Nemeth Braille code for mathematics, was hospitalized with a serious heart attack.
He is now recovering at home, but we regret to report that he is still far from
well. We all wish him a return to full health.

New Baby:
Stephanie Holloway is the energetic and successful president of the Georgia
Parents of Blind Children Division of the NFB of Georgia. She and her husband
Richard are the proud parents of Richard Allen Holloway Jr. who was born on
Monday, February 20, 2006, at 12:03 p.m. He weighed eight pounds, twelve ounces
and was twenty-and-a-half inches long. Everyone, including the two big sisters,
is doing well.

Elected:
The Austin Chapter of the National Federation of the Blind of Texas elected
officers at its January meeting. They will serve a one-year term. Elected were
president, Jim Shaffer; first vice president, Angela Wolf; second vice president,
Mark Noble; secretary, Norma Gonzales Baker; treasurer, Margaret “Cokie” Craig;
and board members, Richie Flores and Brandy Wojcik.

Braille Medallion
Key Rings Available at Convention:
The Cincinnati chapter of the NFB of Ohio will again be selling Louis Braille
key rings at the Ohio table in the convention exhibit hall. As many of you know,
these attractive, gold-plated coin-like medallions have Louis Braille's name
and date of birth on one side and hands reading Braille with the print inscription
"Braille opens doors" on the reverse. They are only $5 each, so plan
to stock up for the year.

Attention Affiliate, Division, and Chapter Newsletter Editors:
Larry McKeever would like to read and record your newsletters on tape. He is
currently reading for Ohio, Minnesota, Kentucky, California, and Missouri. He
would like to read for you too. You can check the latest edition of any of these
publications as an audition.
Rates are reasonable: $75 a cassette. This includes reading, mastering, and
Priority Mail postage. Simply email your Word copy of the final product to him
at <[email protected]>, and he will have the cassette (or CD) master back
to you, generally within thirty-six hours of receipt. Be sure to include instructions
about where to send both the invoice and the cassette.

In Memoriam:
We recently learned from Mary Ann Saunders, president of the Huntington Chapter
of the NFB of West Virginia, of the death on February 18, 2006, of Avis (Abbie)
Hensley, a sighted member who had been chapter treasurer for forty-seven years.
She loved the Federation and its members, and she attended state conventions
whenever she could. According to Ed McDonald, past president of the NFB of West
Virginia, “Several years ago Abbie was inducted into the affiliate's Hall of
Honor, and one can hardly recount the history of the NFB of West Virginia without
mentioning the name of Abbie Hensley.” May she rest in peace.

In Brief

Notices and information
in this section may be of interest to Monitor readers. We are not responsible
for the accuracy of the information; we have edited only for space and clarity.

Braille and Large Print Patterns Available:
Lion Brand reported in its January newsletter that all of its patterns are now
offered in three versions. In addition to the standard version that includes
images and text, each pattern includes two new links at the top: the first formats
the pattern to be read in large print or by text-to-speech browsers; the second
formats the pattern so it can be read by Braille devices.

Lion has also added color
descriptions to all yarns and added special features to patterns and the pattern
directories that are not visible to sighted readers but that make it easier
to understand the patterns when they are read by text-to-speech browsers. They
welcome your suggestions and comments. Send them to <[email protected]>.

Exciting New Training Opportunity:
The South Carolina Commission for the Blind (SCCB) has entered a partnership
to train blind blood donor recruiters for the American Red Cross. Red Cross
has thirty-six telephone recruiting centers throughout the country. Anyone who
successfully completes this program will go directly to work in one of these
recruiting centers.

The training is six weeks
with transportation provided to and from the hotel. A contract is also in place
to provide meals, beginning with breakfast on Monday and ending with lunch on
Friday, in the cafeteria on the SCCB complex. However, no contracts are in place
for weekend meals.

Applicants should have
effective communication skills, type at least twenty words per minute, and be
proficient in the access software (JAWS or screen enlargement) that they will
be using. They will also need to have at least ninth grade spelling and vocabulary
skills. Once referred, applicants will undergo an interview with the director
of human resources at the Red Cross location for which they will be training,
as well as criminal background and drug testing.

For more information, contact
Ed Bible at (803) 898-8786 or by email at <[email protected]>.

Ohio State School for the Blind Reunion:
Imagine paying $60 for two nights lodging, six delicious meals, and membership
in an exclusive club. You can do just that by attending the fifty-seventh biennial
reunion of the Ohio State School for the Blind Alumni Association, June 16 to
18. Come and renew old friendships and form new ones. For more information contact
Paul Dressell at (513) 481-7662 or <[email protected]>.

Monitor Mart

The notices in
this section have been edited for clarity, but we can pass along only the information
we were given. We are not responsible for the accuracy of the statements made
or the quality of the products for sale.

Free to a Good Home:
Max Edelman has a Concise Heritage Dictionary recorded on four-track
tapes and a four-track cassette player in excellent condition to go with the
dictionary. These are free of charge to any blind or visually impaired person
who can use them. Contact Max at <[email protected]>.

For Sale:
I'm selling a Spectrum CCTV for $1,200. The screen itself is nineteen inches
wide, and the table is thirteen inches wide. If interested, contact me by email
at <[email protected]> or by phone at (207) 448-2719. My address is
Tina Hubley, 971 Bancroft Road, Weston, Maine 04424.

NFB
Pledge

I pledge to participate
actively in the efforts of the National Federation of the Blind to achieve equality,
opportunity, and security for the blind; to support the policies and programs
of the Federation; and to abide by its constitution.